Southampton have completed their club-record signing of Ghana and Rennes winger Kamaldeen Sulemana for £22million (€24.95m).
Sulemana, 22, arrived at Rennes prior to the 2021-22 season for a €20m fee. He made 11 starts among his 20 appearances during his first Ligue 1 campaign before his season was cut short in February due to a back injury.
He has struggled to force his way back into the club’s best XI this time around, with only two league starts to his name, but his stock received a massive boost after a terrific showing for Ghana at the Qatar World Cup.
Sulemana appeared in all three of Ghana’s group stage matches, where he clocked the fastest sprint speed (35.7kp/h) out of every player at the tournament.
Saint Sulemana pic.twitter.com/Ty1H2fYeI1
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 1, 2023
He has earned 15 senior international caps so far, although the lightning-quick forward is yet to record his first goal for his country.
The £22m fee exceeds the £20m paid to sign Danny Ings from Liverpool in 2019, and has the potential to rise to £24.6m if certain add-ons are activated.
In a second under-the-radar move, Southampton also confirmed the signing of 28-year-old Genk striker Paul Onuachu, who is the leading scorer in the Belgian top flight.
Onuachu, a Nigerian international, has scored 16 goals in his past 13 league games, and the towering 201cm presence was secured for a fee of £18.5m (€22m).
Onuachu announced! pic.twitter.com/ODIYHSkKGG
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 1, 2023
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