Southampton have lodged an enquiry about Rennes’ £23 million Belgium international Jeremy Doku as the Premier League’s bottom club maintain their ambitious January recruitment drive, according to FootMercato.
When Kevin de Bruyne and Kylian Mbappe are raving about your talent and potential, you know you’re a player of rare ability.
“A player who impressed me because of his speed; Doku,” Mbappe told France Football in 2021. “In five years as a professional, I have never seen someone from a standing start demonstrate so much power.”
De Bruyne, meanwhile, labelled Doku ‘a diamond’ after the former Anderlecht whizzkid opened his account for the Belgian national team two years ago; a cracker of a finish during a 5-1 obliteration of Iceland.
“He is nimble, fast and can dribble,” beamed the Manchester City talisman. “Of course, he can sometimes make a mistake, but who doesn’t? He is a diamond in the rough.”
Southampton, then, feels like a fitting destination for a player who, at just 20 years of age, will be tasked with helping a Belgium side in transition move on from their ‘Olden Generation’.
Few clubs have polished more diamonds than the Saints in recent years, with Doku potentially following in the footsteps of Virgil van Dijk, Tino Livramento, Sadio Mane, Gareth Bale, Luke Shaw and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Southampton enquire about Jeremy Doku of Stade Rennais
According to FM, Southampton have approached Rennes to enquire about Doku’s availability this month. An injury to star forward Martin Terrier, however, means the Ligue 1 outfit are unlikely to let their second-most expensive-ever player go without a fight.
Doku, a jet-heeled winger who seems to play football in fast forward, has scored just five league goals in two-and-a-half years at Rennes. There are obvious improvements that must be made regarding his end product, then, even if Doku’s potential remains undoubted.
It is common knowledge, meanwhile, that Doku turned down Liverpool when still a teenager at Anderlecht. Jurgen Klopp saw him as a potential long-term successor for one-time Southampton favourite Mane.
“I was able to talk to Jurgen (Klopp), (Sadio) Mane, (Gini) Wijnaldum, and (Steven) Gerrard too,” Dou recalls.
“(Klopp) told me that I was young, that I still had time. I know which route I had to take, and I knew that at that point I had to stay at Anderlecht. And as soon as I am asked whether I regret (turning down Liverpool), I say no all the time.
“If they like me, they’ll come back later, that’s for sure. It’s up to me to be good.”
Southampton have already signed fellow forward Mislav Orsic this month. Carlos ‘Charly’ Alcaraz is arriving in a £12 million deal too from Argentine outfit Racing Club.
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