Southampton win race for Heidenheim’s Leo Scienza with record €9m offer | OneFootball

Kicker and others are currently reporting that Southampton have outpaced Paris FC in the race to acquire Heidenheim attacker Leo Scienza. The Bundesliga professional wishes to join the Saints. The EFL Championship side have also sweetened the deal for Scienza’s Bundesliga outfit by tendering an offer of €9m plus bonuses.

Once the deal is sealed, Scienza will count as Heidenheim’s most expensive ever sale. The 26-year-old earns the Ostalbenschwaben more than Jan-Niklas Beste and even German national team striker Tim Kleindienst. Beste (Benfica, €8m) and Kleindienst (€7m, Borussia Mönchengladbach) were both sold last summer.

Southampton have already acquired three German footballing professionals this summer, spending a combined €23.5m on Köln’s Damion Downs, Hoffenheim’s Joshua Qaurshie, and Nürnberg’s Caspar Jander. Danish fullback Mads Roerslev – who featured in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg last spring – has also been acquired from Brentford.

Scienza has scored four goals in 27 German top flight appearances with the German BaWü border club. The Brazilian has already notched three tallies in three appearances across all competitions with Heidenheim this year.

GGFN | Peter Weis