Moussa Dembele is on the brink of a move to the EPL with Lyon accepting an offer of £2.6m from Southampton.
The striker spent two eventful seasons at Celtic before moving to the French side in a £20m deal at the end of the summer 2018 transfer window. In January 2019 Peter Lawwell brought in Vakoun Bayo and Oli Burke as replacements.
Dembele has long been linked with a move to the EPL but it seems like Lyon priced themselves out of a deal with a loan stint at Atletico Madrid failing to attract any other offers.
Southampton ‘have £2.6m bid accepted by Lyon for Moussa Dembele’ #DeadlineDay https://t.co/cZeeOzgfwZ
— The Sun Football ? (@TheSunFootball) January 31, 2023
With his Lyon contract expiring in the summer Dembele will almost certainly have a number of clauses built into his Southampton contract including a get out if they are relegated.
Saints are currently in bottom spot in the EPL with 15 points from 20 matches. Fourth bottom Wolves are just two points above them, if Dembele can find half a dozen goals in the 18 remaining matches it could extend Southampton’s stay in the EPL.
Former Celtic team-mate Stuart Armstrong is currently out injured with new boss Nathan Jones looking for a winning blend, in 16 EPL starts Moi Elyounoussi has yet to score. James Ward-Prowse is the top scorer in the EPL with five goals from 20 matches.
Celtic paid Fulham £500,000 to sign the teenage Dembele in a cross-border deal in July 2016.