Club make ‘second attempt’ to sign Southampton player – Saints to make negotiations difficult again
FC Nantes have rekindled their interest in Southampton’s Kamaldeen Sulemana for the summer window.
They had preferred a loan transfer while Southampton wanted to sell him for €20m. This saw the French club end their pursuit then before considering the winger again for next season.
The Ghana international is considered the priority target for Nantes and therefore, they have reignited their desire to sign him.
Nantes have made a ‘second attempt’ to snatch the attacker away from Southampton. A source close to the player’s family, who is also part of his management team, told Africa Foot that he’s open to joining Nantes as he wants to play in the top division.
This won’t be possible with the Saints after their relegation from the Premier League. He played over 1,400 minutes from 26 league games this season, managing a goal and an assist in the process. Sulemana has two years left on his contract at St Mary’s.
Despite Sulemana’s desire for transfer and Nantes returning for him, the source claims ” Southampton will ‘once again make negotiations difficult’.
Southampton are preparing for life back in the Championship after their relegation from the Premier League.
It is fair to say that it was a dismal season for Southampton in the top flight as they recorded just 12 points, and the only positive they can take from the campaign is that they avoided breaking Derby County’s record for the lowest-ever points total
However, the Saints did set an unwanted piece of Premier League history as they fell to an unprecedented 30th defeat of the season in their 2-1 loss against Arsenal on Sunday, with Martin Odegaard’s 89th-minute winner for the Gunners capping off a year to forget for the South Coast outfit.
It was not all doom and gloom for Southampton on Sunday though, with the club confirming the appointment of Will Still as their new manager on a three-year contract, and the 32-year-old was present in the stands for the clash against Mikel Arteta’s side after completing his move from French side Lens, who he guided to an eighth-placed finish in Ligue 1 this season.
Still undoubtedly has a tough task ahead of him to turn the Saints around, but the Arsenal game may have offered him a glimpse of a secret weapon he could unleash in the Championship next term.
