West Ham United target Mario Lemina has joined Southampton for a club record fee of £18 million.
The former Juventus star becomes Southampton’s second signing of the summer after the Saints completed the signing of Polish defender Jan Bednarek earlier this summer.
Lemina – who joined Juventus on a permanent deal only last summer – had previously been a target for West Ham boss Slaven Bilic who was looking to bolster his options in midfield ahead of the new season, but the Croatian will now have to turn his attentions elsewhere after the Gabon international sealed his move to St Mary’s.
The talented 23-year-old midfielder arrives in the Premier League with a big reputation having had a successful season-and-a-half spell with the reigning Serie A champions. Lemina made 42 appearances in total for The Old Lady, finding the back of the net three times.
West Ham will now focus on completing moves for either Brentford forward Jota, or Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere following Lemina’s switch to Southampton.
