Southampton turn down Marseille loan approach for Sékou Mara | OneFootball

Foot Mercato report that Marseille made an attempt to sign Southampton striker Sékou Mara on a loan deal this past transfer window – to no avail, as the Saints were adamant on keeping hold of the young forward to help them stave off relegation in the Premier League.

The former Bordeaux striker made the move across the Channel this summer in the wake of his formative team’s relegation at the end of the campaign – his transfer in part helping the club improve their finances as their Ligue 2 status looked in doubt. He found the net six times in 26 appearances, finishing as the team’s third highest scorer in the league.

In his first campaign in England, the striker has appeared 14 times in the league, and scored in the league cup in a win against Manchester City. His performance drew interest from Marseille – who ended up signing Portuguese forward Vitinha from Braga in a deadline-day move – but the Frenchman looks set to help the Saints in their efforts to leave the bottom spot in the second half of the season.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin