The door has swung open once again for Southampton to sign Deyovaisio Zeefuik, with Kicker reporting that his move from Groningen to Hertha Berlin has hit the buffers due to a disagreement over the transfer fee.
While the former Ajax starlet will most certainly be bidding farewell to the so-called Pride of the North this summer, where he ends up is anyone’s guess.
It had looked as if a nouveau-riche Hertha Berlin side had beaten rival suitors Southampton to Zeefuik’s signature. But, despite snapping up Lucas Tousart, Matheus Cunha and Krzysztof Piatek for big-money, it seems the capital club are getting a little sniffy about paying £5 million for Zeefuik.
Kicker reports that Bruno Labbadia’s side have offered £2.5 million – well short of the fee demanded by Groningen.
And it seems that Hertha are now looking elsewhere, with the report adding that there is another right-back on their radar.
You can guarantee that Southampton will be watching developments like a hawk and, with the talks seemingly on the verge of breaking down, the South Coast club may be about to pounce.
DVHN reported in June that the Saints had identified Zeefuik as the man to solve a problematic right-back position. His swashbuckling style and searing pace certainly makes him a perfect fit for Hasenhuttl’s high-octane, counter-attacking blueprint.
“There is a good chance that Deyo played his last match for FC Groningen,” the Eredivisie side’s director of football, Mark-Jan Fledderus, admitted a few weeks back.
“He would like to take the next step and that is understandable. He did very well with us. It makes sense that he wants to try it at a higher level. He is ready.”
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