Joakim Maehle’s three-year spell at Genk has been nothing short of a roaring success.
But after cruising to the Belgian title in 2019 and then making his mark in the Champions League stages, the Denmark international obviously feels the time is right to move on.
Ekstra Bladet reports Maehle has attracted interest from Premier League trio West Ham United (Star), Crystal Palace and Southampton.
French giants Marseille, meanwhile, had an £11.5 million deal all but done before October’s transfer deadline – only for Genk to move the goalposts at the last minute.
Maehle was left “crushed” after a move to the Stade Velodrome collapsed (BT). However, with the January window just six weeks away, the rampaging right-back was never going to miss an opportunity to issue the most blatant ‘come and get me plea’ you’ll see this year.
“I want to leave as quickly as possible. It’s not always easy to go away in winter, but I think I’ll get there,” the four-time international tells Maxifoot.
“I haven’t discussed this with Genk again, but the club bosses know my point of view. In the meantime, I give my all for the club.”
You don’t need a PHD in psychology to realise the 23-year-old former Aalborg defender feels he has outgrown the relatively small pond that is Belgian football.
And, after watching Jonathan David, Sander Berge and Jeremy Doku seal big-money moves in recent months, he’s desperate to follow in their footsteps.
But with Nathan Ferguson at Palace and Vladimir Coufal joining West Ham from Czech champions Slavia Prague, Southampton may be his only realistic Premier League destination.
Fortunately, with 17 assists since the start of the 2018/19 season, Maehle is exactly the kind of quicksilver full-back who tends to thrive in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s counter-attacking game plan.
“I still believe one day I may end up in Southampton,” Maehle told Ekstra Bladet in April.
In a few weeks, his Premier League dream could become a reality.
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