Southampton Announce the Signing of Mario Lemina From Juventus on a 5-Year Contract
Southampton have captured the signature of Mario Lemina from Serie A champions Juventus on a five-year contract.
Lemina - according to Evening Standard - supposedly had a medical at the Saints on Monday, and all appears to have gone to plan as the 23-year-old has subsequently penned a deal at the Premier League outfit on Tuesday, with the news being broken by Southampton's official Twitter page.
The reported fee to which the south coast club would have to pay for the midfielder is allegedly €18m, a figure which makes him the club's most expensive signing, beating Sofiane Boufal’s £16m move from Ligue 1's Lille in the summer of 2016.
Mauricio Pellegrino is hoping to build a squad this summer which would emulate former Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino's prolific 2013-14 fold - the Gabon international being a promising acquisition indeed.
Lemina struggled to break into Juve's dominant team last season, making just 29 appearances for Max Allegri's fold in all competitions, hitting the target only once in the process, along with one solitary assist.
With his career seemingly hitting a stumbling block at the Bianconeri, the ex-Marseille midfielder found no choice but to seek pastures new, prompting the Saints to tail his services in order to utilise his dormant talents.
Fellow Premier League sides West Ham and allegedly Arsenal were also tracking Lemina, although Southampton emerged at the top of the chasing pack, and will offer him a brand of football which would mirror his own personal ambition.
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Lemina's arrival is only the second signing of Southampton's summer, a move which could potentially kick-start their recruitment process.
Pellegrino snagged Jan Bednarek from Lech Poznan for an undisclosed fee, the 21-year-old centre-half being seen as a future star for the club, with youthful enthusiasm - matched with Lemina's arrival - being a priority for the Argentinian boss as he vies to construct a squad for the future.
