Southampton succeed with £3m striker bid as Jones rushes to secure agreement on personal terms

Lyon have accepted a bid from Southampton for their striker Moussa Dembele, according to reports.

Dembele has been with Lyon since 2018, when they signed him from Celtic. He has endured a range of highs and lows since then, hitting double figures of goals in each of his first two seasons before struggling in his third, which also included an ill-fated loan spell with Atletico Madrid.

Last season, Dembele surpassed the 20-goal barrier again, but has been a shadow of his former self this term. Indeed, he has managed just two goals from 16 games in 2022-23.

With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, the former Fulham man has not done enough recently to convince his current employers to reward him with an extension.

Hence, other clubs have been contemplating whether it is worth offering Dembele a new venture. Now, he seems to be in line for a return to English football.

Earlier on Monday, Foot Mercato reported that Southampton had made a bid for the 26-year-old.

Now, an update from Football Scotland has revealed that Lyon have accepted the offer, which is in the region of £3million.

Because Lyon will not be making a profit on their near-£20m investment, Scottish giants Celtic will miss out on a windfall, the report confirms.

But from Lyon’s perspective, getting something is better than nothing at this stage of his contract. Therefore, it has made sense for them to sell Dembele to Southampton.

In turn, Nathan Jones could soon have a new striker at his disposal to help Southampton in their battle against relegation.

First of all, though, Southampton must convince Dembele to accept their personal terms. They are now in a hurry to get his signature on a contract before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.

If they can get the deal done, Dembele will leave Lyon with a record of 69 goals from 160 appearances. It has followed his 51 goals in 94 games for Celtic and, prior to that, 19 in 64 for Fulham.

Fulham were in the Premier League when Dembele was starting out with them, but he only ever made two appearances in the English top flight before spending two seasons with them in the Championship after relegation.

Now, he could be on the verge of getting a second chance in the Premier League, this time with Southampton.

New striker need is evident for Southampton

Saints have only scored 17 goals from their 20 league matches so far this season. Their top scorer in the league has been midfielder James Ward-Prowse with five, indicating their need for a new centre-forward.

They have already brought in Croatian attacking midfielder Mislav Orsic this month to help in the final third. If Dembele joins, he would be their fourth winter signing after Orsic, midfielder Carlos Alcaraz and defender James Bree.

Jones will need the latest newcomer to be at his best to help Southampton climb out of the relegation zone. At the age of 26, Dembele still has plenty to offer, despite his recent decline in fortunes.

His overall records with Celtic and Lyon especially are worthy of respect. Therefore, he will be hoping to replicate the better versions of himself from seasons gone by if he does sign up at St. Mary’s Stadium.

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