Southampton close to smashing transfer record with midfielder deal

Southampton are closing in on a deal to sign Lille midfielder, Sofaine Boufal for a club record fee, according to Sky Sports reporter, Jim White.

The Moroccan attacking midfielder has been dubbed the next Eden Hazard after a successful spell attempting to fill the substantial void left by the Chelsea star at the French outfit.

The club are reportedly on the verge of finalising the deal for the 21-year-old, worth around £21.5m, which will smash the South Coast side’s transfer record.

The former Angers man has scored 15 goals and setup 10 in 51 appearances for the former Ligue 1 champions since his move in January 2015.

New Saints boss, Claude Puel, will want to bolster his ranks ahead of a debut season in the Europa Leage group stages and will help that his fifth summer signing will be more successful than the current record arrival at St Mary’s, Dani Osvaldo, who left in controversial having clashed with captain, Jose Fonte.