Official | Southampton secure services of USMNT striker Damion Downs | OneFootball

FC Köln striker Damion Downs has officially joined EFL Championship outfit Southampton. Downs’ Bundesliga club shall receive a base-transfer-fee of €8m that can rise to €10m with bonuses. Downs scored 11 goals and contributed six assists for the cathedral city side in 32 competitive appearances last season.

Southampton have now secured two Bundesliga professionals this summer. The Saints also picked up Hoffenheim’s Joshua Quarshie for a reported €3.5m. Köln were obviously not enthusiastic about letting their leading goal-scorer in the 2. Bundesliga last year go, but could not refuse such a lucrative offer.

Downs’ sale – combined with the €4m die Geißböcke received from RB Leipzig for Max Finkgräfe – puts Köln’s estimated summer transfer balance back in the black. The Domstädter have still lost two long-term academy players on the deals.

Club statements emphasized how important the German-American attacker was to the organization. The now five-times-capped USMNT international himself had a great deal of gratitude to express to the club that groomed him.

“We had intensive and open talks with Damion about a future together,” Köln sporting director Thomas Kessler noted in his statement. “We presented him with what we believe to be very attractive prospects at 1. FC Köln, both in sporting and financial terms, with a clear opportunity to play a central role in the Bundesliga.

“Damion decided against this offer and chose a different path,” Kessler’s statement continued. “As a result, we have found a solution for 1. FC Köln that is economically sound. We would like to thank Damion for his commitment to the club and his important contribution to our return to the Bundesliga. We wish him all the best for his future career, both on and off the pitch.”

“I came to Köln from Ingolstadt five years ago as a teenager and am extremely grateful to FC and the people of Cologne for their warm support throughout this time,” Downs noted in his statement. “I have always enjoyed it and the time will always remain in my heart. Promotion to the Bundesliga [last season] was one of the best moments of my life.

“I would especially like to thank my youth coach Stefan Ruthenbeck and Thomas Kessler, who have been particularly supportive,” Downs concluded. “I wish everyone in Cologne a successful season in the Bundesliga.”

GGFN | Peter Weis