RENNES star Kamaldeen Sulemana has snubbed Everton to agree a £22million move to Southampton.
Fabrizio Romano claims the Premier League duo were both keen on signing the winger today.
GettySouthampton have won the race for £22m Rennes star Kamaldeen Sulemana[/caption]
And both parties successfully lodged bids with his French club.
But it’s Southampton who have won the race, beating off interest from Everton and RB Leipzig.
Sulemana joined Rennes 18 months ago from Nordsjaelland for £17.5m.
He has six goals and four assists in 45 outings.
And at just 20 years old, Sulemana is tipped to develop into a top player.
He was first linked with a Premier League move in May 2021, with Manchester United and Liverpool both exploring moves.
Last summer, Newcastle made an enquiry for Sulemana after missing out on Leeds’ Jack Harrison.
But the Ghana international now looks set to finally make a move to England’s top flight.
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Relegation battlers Everton are desperate for reinforcements after hiring Sean Dyche as their new boss.
The Toffees were on the brink of loaning Arnaut Danjuma from Villarreal last week, but saw the deal hijacked late on by Tottenham.
But they will be forced to look elsewhere yet again.
As for Southampton, they too are looking to beat the drop and will be delighted to have won the race for Sulemana.
Nathan Jones has turned things around after a bad start at St Mary’s.
And Sulemana could arrive as a replacement for Che Adams, who is ironically wanted by Everton too.
Ex-Fulham man Moussa Dembele could also be on his way to the south coast for £2.6m from Lyon.