Deyovaisio Zeefuik has agreed terms over a summer move to Hertha Berlin with Kicker claiming that the Southampton target has turned down a Premier League switch in the process.
It has been obvious for some time that Zeefuik, a former Ajax youngster and Dutch youth star, has placed his final game in the green of Groningen.
Both player and club have made it clear that he would be sold in the off-season, with just 12 months remaining on his contract at the Euroborg.
What was less clear, however, was where he would end up.
Southampton are scouring the market for right-backs and a move to St Mary’s has been heavily mooted of late.
DVHN claims that the Saints are interested in Zeefuik, a man who caught the eye in the Eredivisie with his searing pace and a swashbuckling style which appeared to make him the perfect fit for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s high-octane football.
But according to reports in Germany, Zeefuik will turn down interest from England in order to join a nouveau-riche Hertha Berlin side intent on buying their way into the elite.
The 22-year-old has agreed a move to the German capital but there is still work to be done.
As it stands, a Hertha side who paid big on Matheus Cunha, Lucas Tousart and Krzysztof Piatek in January are yet to meet Groingnen’s £5 million asking price.
For Southampton, however, this is the first blow in what is likely to be a long, hard summer.
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