Southampton set to sign German youth international Joshua Quarshie | OneFootball

German youth international Joshua Quarshie is reportedly on the move to the EFL Championship. Relegated Premier League side Southampton FC are set to pick up the 20-year-old centre-back from Bundesliga outfit TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Quarshie – not selected for the Germany U21s for this summer’s forthcoming U21 European Championships– will have the entire summer to prepare for his move to the Isle.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Quarshie has completed his Southampton medical and that a €3.5m transfer fee has been agreed upon. Quarshie made just one Bundesliga appearance for his current parent club, accruing experience in the German second division on separate loan stints with Fortuna Düsseldorf and SpVgg Greuther Fürth over the past season.

Quarshie did manage to get regular playing time in Fürth, in the process pumping his estimate market value up from €800,000 to €1.2m in the past six months. Former Hoffenheim scouting director Johannes Spors has been working in the Southampton front office since February and evidently sees a great deal of potential in the 11-times-capped U21 international.

Quarshie likely serves as a direct replacement for fellow German central defender Armel Bella-Kotchap, who has been heavily linked with a return to his native land since Southampton’s relegation. Hoffenheim themselves require assistance in central defense, but seek more experienced players to fill the corps ahead of next season.

GGFN | Peter Weis