Southampton want £9m ace Neymar said will be one of Europe’s best

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Southampton are hoping to lure Timothy Weah to the Premier League but face an uphill battle due to Lille’s desire to hang onto the American international, as reported by FootMercato. 

There has never been any doubts about Weah’s potential. His ability to stay fit for an extended period of time, however… well, that’s a different story altogether.

Weah started 17 Ligue 1 games in 2021/22. Hardly an ever present, then. But that is still by far and away the most starts he’s managed in a single campaign in the deep red of Lille.  

Weah, the son of Ballon D’Or winner and AC Milan legend George, is still just 22. He has plenty of time on his side. And, as far as his footballing journey is concerned, he’s barely left his own doorstep.

If the talented forward can put those injury issues behind him, there’s no reason why he cannot still live up to potential he showed when rising through the ranks at Paris Saint-Germain. 

Can Southampton lure Timothy Weah away from Lille?

“From what I’ve seen of his talent, he has everything to become one of the top attacking players in Europe,” former PSG team-mate Neymar once said of a man who won a league and cup double during a loan spell at Celtic in 2018/19. 

According to FootMercato, Lille are determined to retain Weah’s services, amid doubts about the future of fellow forward Jonathan David. Valencia are interested, Southampton too. But there is real hope at the Stade Geoffrey Guichard that the former Parkhead favourite will stick around and build on an excellent end to the 2021/22 Ligue 1 campaign. 

“I’ve known this club since I’ve played in France, and I want to discover its history,” Weah said after joining Lille, expressing his desire to follow in the footsteps of a number some of Les Dogues’ most notable former players.

“Great players have come here like (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang, (Eden) Hazard and (Nicolas) Pepe. know that if I work hard, I’ll improve.” 

Southampton are keen on a former PSG youngster, and a current one too. Djeidi Gassama, an 18-year-old whizzkid who idolises Kylian Mbappe, is another on the Saints’ summer hitlist.