Southampton have been beaten to James Maddison by Leicester City.
The Saints had a bid accepted over the weekend before Leicester City matched their offer and persuaded the youngster to join instead.
Maddison, 21, scored 14 goals from midfield for the Canaries last season and provided eight assists.
Leicester are a potentially smart choice for Maddison to continue his career, but so too would have been the Saints.
It hurts more for Southampton that their former boss Claude Puel is set to benefit from Maddison’s decision to join his Leicester side.
Southampton narrowly avoided relegation after a difficult campaign and signing Maddison would have been a real show of intent that they are planning to compete for a top 10 place next season, as had previously become the norm.
Missing out on Maddison is certainly a blow, but the club’s willingness to spend upwards of £20 million on an exciting young talent is at least a little encouraging.
Here is a look at how Southampton fans reacted on Twitter to the snub…
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