Southampton look set to break their transfer fee record for Sofiane Boufal.
Lille star Sofiane Boufal
According to The Guardian, Southampton are closing in on a club-record deal for Sofiane Boufal, with the price potential reaching £21.2m.
The Saints have again had to cope with losses this season after Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mane left for Tottenham and Liverpool respectively, but Claude Puel has managed to bring in a number of players so far.
After securing Alex McCarthy, Jeremy Pied, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Nathan Redmond, Puel is now moving for his top target in a club-record deal.
The Guardian report that Southampton are closing in on the signing of Lille playmaker Sofiane Boufal, with the deal believed to be worth up to €25m (£21.2m), though part of that is in add-ons and various clauses.
Boufal, 22, hit 11 goals and four assists in Ligue 1 last season, starring for Lille as he became one of French football’s top playmakers – and his displays clearly caught the eye of Southampton’s new manager Puel, who was in charge of Nice last season.
It’s believed that Puel has indeed pushed for the signing of Boufal having watched him last season, and Southampton’s insistence on a deal has been on show this week.
Southampton manager Claude Puel
The report claims that Southampton initially had a bid of €15m (£12.85m) rejected, but after further talks with Lille, a deal totalling more than £20m is on the verge of completion.
A skillful dribbler and pacey playmaker, Boufal can play out wide or as a number ten, and should give Southampton an added boost in the final third alongside Dusan Tadic, Nathan Redmond and Shane Long – if the deal is, as expected, completed before next week’s transfer deadline.
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