Report: Southampton close to £12m signing of Stade Brestois midfielder Ibrahima Diallo

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Southampton are edging closer to completing the signing of Stade Brestois midfielder, Ibrahima Diallo, according to a report from Sky Sports.

The Saints are believed to have agreed a £12m fee with the French outfit to sign Diallo, who will be seen as a replacement for the departed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who left for Tottenham.

Diallo, who has been a regular for the Ligue 1 side, is expected to complete his move to the south coast within the next day or two, with Sky claiming a medical is scheduled within the next 24 hours.

Manager Ralf Hassenhuttl has been chasing a new midfield player ever since losing Hojbjerg to Spurs. Indeed, he missed out on Diallo’s Ligue 1 counterpart, Ibrahim Sangare.

Diallo, who has appeared five times for the French under-20s, started his career with Monaco before sealing a move to Stad Brestois last summer. Since then, he has gone on to become a first-team regular, playing over 50 times.

The 21-year-old can also fill in at centre-back if needed but is predominantly at home in a deep midfield role.

Good news for the Saints and a player who can bring energy to midfield – TBR View

Diallo should bring something to the Saints midfield from the off and will allow the likes of James Ward-Prowse to influence things further up the field from now on.

Oriol Romeu is someone who plays that deeper role for Hassenhuttl but he needed to replace Hojbjerg and he may just done it by landing the impressive young Frenchman.

At £12m, it should represent good business in this market, too.