Southampton: £40m star 'will now push to leave' amid interest from St Mary's | OneFootball

Southampton have been boosted in their bid to lure Kamaldeen Sulemana to St Mary’s as the Rennes star ‘will push to leave’ Rennes in the coming days, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has told GiveMeSport.

Having already completed the acquisitions of Mislav Orsic, Carlos Alcaraz and James Bree during the January window, Saints boss Nathan Jones has set his sights on making further signings ahead of the fast-approaching deadline.

Southampton transfer news – Kamaldeen Sulemana

According to French media outlet L’Equipe, Southampton have been frustrated in their initial attempts to land Sulemana as a bid worth close to £17million has been rejected by Rennes.

The report suggests the Ligue 1 outfit’s sporting director Florian Maurice has told the Ghana international’s representatives they have no interest in cashing in, while a proposal put forward by Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven has also been snubbed.

Southampton are not the only Premier League side looking to strike a deal for Sulemana as respected journalist Romano recently told GiveMeSport that Everton have been in talks with Rennes.

But the winger’s current employers have attempted to deter suitors from making any further bids by slapping a £40million price tag on him, which has put Newcastle United off heading to the negotiating table.

Rennes are in a strong negotiating position as Sulemana’s £8,000-per-week contract still has three-and-a-half years to run.

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What has Fabrizio Romano said about Sulemana?

Romano understands that Sulemana is eager to move onto pastures new and will put pressure on Rennes to sanction his departure ahead of the January window slamming shut.

The transfer guru believes the 20-year-old’s stance could help Southampton to get a deal over the line.

Romano told GiveMeSport: “He wants to leave and he will push to leave in the next days.

“This is positive news for English clubs because the player will help but, at the moment, a move is still not agreed with any clubs.”

Would Sulemana be a good signing for Southampton?

Sulemana has found the back of the net 20 times and registered a further 12 assists during the early stages of his senior club career, according to Transfermarkt.

With Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Nottingham Forest being the only Premier League sides to have scored less goals than Southampton this season, it is easy to see why he has worked his way onto Jones’ radar.

Sulemana was the fastest player at the World Cup, having recorded a top speed of 22.18mph during Ghana’s final group stage clash with Uruguay.

His pace will cause havoc for defenders if he completes a switch to Saints, while Sofascore statistics show he has created two big chances in Ligue 1 this term.

WhoScored and Southampton should up the ante in their pursuit.