Southampton pay club-record £22m for Rennes winger Kamaldeen Sulemana
Southampton have completed the signing of Rennes and Ghana winger Kamaldeen Sulemana for a club-record fee of £22m.
The 20-year-old, who primarily plays on the left, has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal, keeping him at the club until 2027.
Sulemana joined Rennes from Danish club Nordsjaelland in 2021 and has played 20 times this season, scoring once and providing two assists.
He has opted to join the Saints ahead of Everton, who made a verbal offer for him on Sunday. The Saints will pay Rennes €25million (£22m) up front with a further €3m (£2.6m) in add-ons.
It exceeds the £20m Saints paid to sign Danny Ings from Liverpool in 2019.
“This is another really positive addition for us this month. We have been keen to add a little more potency to the side and Kamaldeen does that for us,” manager Nathan Jones said.
The highly-rated forward represented Ghana at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, featuring twice as a substitute as the Black Stars exited the competition at the group stage.
He left the tournament in Qatar as the fastest player, clocking up a top speed of 22.2mph in a group stage match against Uruguay.
Sulemana has struggled this season to command a starting berth at Rennes, racking up 20 appearances across all competitions, scored once and provided two assists.
