Sofiane Boufal looks set to leave The Saints after struggling in the Premier League – Ligue 1 Nice are interested.
Southampton are willing to accept just £9 million for Sofiane Boufal with Nice keen to bring the former Lille talisman back to France, according to L’Equipe.
With the transfer window set to slam shut in just over a week, The Saints are running out of time as they look to get rid of the deadwood from Ralph Hasenhuttl’s rather bloated squad. As it stands, Guido Carrillo, Cedric Soares and Mario Lemina are still stuck at St Mary’s and so too is Boufal.
A £16 million signing from Lille in the summer of 2016 (Daily Echo), a player who had been compared to Eden Hazard across the channel for his ability to glide across the turf with the ball at his feet, the Morocco international has only shown a few flashes of his undoubted talent on the South Coast.
And after producing just three goals and three assists during an underwhelming loan spell at Celta Vigo, reports from France claim that Southampton are now willing to sell Boufal at a £7 million loss. Patrick Vieira’s Nice, who are lacking any sort of cutting edge in the final third, are interested in Boufal, plus Ajax striker Kasper Dolberg and Napoli benchwarmer Adam Ounas.
Interestingly, Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl told the Daily Echo recently that he was willing to give the enigmatic winger a fresh start and even brought him off the bench against Burnley on the first day of the Premier League season.
But £9 million could be too good to turn down for a player who looks set to spend the entire season as an afterthought at best.
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