Southampton close on £14m deal for Mali forward linked with AC Milan

Dan Butterfield

Southampton are closing in on Standard Liege forward Moussa Djenepo as manager Ralph Hasenhuttl aims to secure his first deal as Saints boss.

It is expected that Djenepo will undergo a medical at Southampton in the next 24 hours but it is unlikely to be announced that he has signed for the club for at least a week as the club look to secure a work permit for the attacker.

The Mali international is a pacy left winger who caught the attention of numerous club across Europe, including Italian giants AC Milan, after a stand-out season in Belgium that saw him score 11 goals in 38 appearances.

Djenepo started his career at Yeelen Olympique in his home country before signing, initially on loan, for the Belgian outfit in 2017. He impressed that much that Liege activated his €50,000 release clause and he has continued his good from since.

Standard Liege have now decided it’s the right time to cash in on the 20-year-old after he helped them to a Belgian Cup victory in 2018 and helping them qualify for the Europa League.

On the international stage, Djenepo has eight caps and one goal after making his debut in 2018 World Cup qualification against Ivory Coast. He netted his only goal in a 3-0 victory over South Sudan in 2019 African Cup of Nations qualification.

Terms have been agreed between the south coast club and the winger, the work permit issue the only thing slowing the deal down.

Hasenhuttl will hope his first signing as boss will be a good one after choosing to not bring in any new players in January despite the saints being in a relegation battle.

However, he has said that transfers will be important this summer to avoid a similar fate next season. Djenepo fits the type of player that Hasenhuttl is interested in after he said he wants young, hungry players who want to further their career.

Saints are also reported to be looking for a striker but funds will needed to be freed up as Hasenhuttl looks to reshape his squad.

 

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