Thursday 13 June 2019 14:00, UK
Southampton have signed winger Moussa Djenepo on a four-year contract from Standard Liege in a deal that could rise to £15m.
The 20-year-old passed a medical last week before joining up with Mali to prepare for the African Cup of Nations, with the deal rising to £15m due to performance-related bonuses, subject to the relevant paperwork being completed on 1st July.
Djenepo scored 11 times for Standard Liege in Belgium as he helped them to a third-place finish in the top flight and qualification for the Europa League.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said: "We are very happy to welcome Moussa as the first new player to join our team ahead of the upcoming season.
"He is an exciting player, with tremendous pace and good finishing abilities, who we have watched closely for some time.
"We have been impressed with how he has adapted to football in Europe and the impact he has had in many games, and we had an interest in him as recently as January, so I am pleased we are able to bring him into the club."
The winger is Hasenhuttl's first permanent signing since he took over from Mark Hughes at St Mary's in December 2018.
Hasenhuttl added: "He combines his quality with a good mentality, and he is the right profile of player that we want to sign - still in the early part of his career, already with a lot of talent, but also with a great amount of potential that I believe we can help him to fulfil.
"I think he will be an excellent fit for our style of play and shape, and these are the important characteristics we must look for.
"It is about getting this right sort of quality, not quantity - we must maximise the use of this window by spending our money in the right way and on the right type of player, and this is a very strong start."
The youngster has earned eight senior caps for his country and will begin his pre-season with the club after the close of the competition, which gets under way in late June.
Djenepo commented: "It is something I am very proud of. It's a dream come true. Southampton is a great club and I am very happy.
"It's a good club that is progressing, it has great facilities, and it's a place that can help me to really kick on and progress.
"I am looking forward to it and I want to get to know my new family. I can't wait to be around my new teammates and work hard alongside them."
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