Ibrahim Sangare has admitted that Southampton were interested in signing him before he joined Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven in an £8 million deal instead, speaking to Voetbal International.
After weeks of speculation, one of the most exciting young midfielders in France has finally put pen to paper on the dotted line.
But Sangare, somewhat surprisingly, has opted against a move across the Channel despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton.
A PSV side who have already snapped up assist-machine Philipp Max from Augsburg have pulled off another eye-catching signing as they look to win their first Eredivisie title in three years, making Sangare their sixth most expensive addition of all time.
Speaking after his move to Eindhoven was confirmed, Sangare has admitted that he could have moved to England instead to become Pierre Emile Hojbjerg’s replacement at St Mary’s.
“This is a good step in my career,” the 22-year-old Ivory Coast international said.
“Things were a little slow at Southampton. But I was very interested in PSV. This is a very interesting choice in terms of sports. I’ve seen PSV matches and I’m impressed with the way they play.
“The coach (Roger Schmidt) looked at my progress and thinks I have a lot of potential. That’s why he probably chose me. In the end it was an easy choice. When such an opportunity presents itself, you should seize it.”
PSV’s technical director John de Jong is confident that Sangare will add ‘power, height and athletic ability to our midfield’ (VI) and, despite finishing bottom with Ligue 1 at Toulouse last season, the youngster arrives amid lofty expectations.
Southampton, meanwhile, have just days left to sign Hojbjerg’s replacement after also missing out on Weston McKennie, Idrissa Doumbia and Dejan Ljubicic.
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