The Saints ace seemed close to leaving St Mary’s in the summer after spending 18-19 away on loan in Spain.
Southampton midfielder Sofiane Boufal has reiterated just how much he wanted to remain with the Saints amid an uncertain future this summer as he turned down the opportunity to move clubs permanently amid offers “maybe two or three times what I earn here in salary” (official Southampton website).
In the summer of 2016, Southampton broke their transfer record to sign the Morocco winger from French side Lille for £16million (BBC Sport) on a deal reportedly worth £65,000-per-week (Spotrac) and to date, he has made 67 appearances for the Saints, including eight this season in all competitions (Transfermarkt).
When Boufal was shipped out on loan to Celta Vigo by former boss Mark Hughes, it looked as though his time on the south coast was set to come to an end, and there were rumours linking him with a move to France in the summer from the likes of El Desmarque, who had linked the player with Marseille.
However, nothing came of the reports and Boufal has been fully reintegrated into the Southampton first-team setup by Ralph Hasenhuttl, where he is thriving once again and is appreciated by fans, teammates and coaches alike.
“Since the first day I came back here, I knew I would stay,” he told the St Mary’s club website. “I spoke with the club and I had good offers in the summer – maybe two or three times what I earn here in salary – but I didn’t want to go. They were very good offers in Europe, but I was focused on staying here. I wanted to stay in Southampton, work hard and be part of the team.
“I am a very ambitious player and I want to show the people who I am. I’m very excited about this season with Southampton. I love this club, I like the fans and since I left I always watched the games to see how Southampton is doing. The club is still the same. The club is a family club – all the people are very friendly and there is a very good atmosphere here.”
Boufal, currently valued by Transfermarkt at £10.8million, is contracted to Southampton until the summer of 2021.
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