(Reuters) – Southampton have signed attacking midfielder Sofiane Boufal from Ligue 1 side Lille on a five-year contract for a club-record fee, the Premier League club said on Monday.
The 22-year-old scored 12 goals in 34 appearances for Lille last season, helping them reach the French League Cup final and finish fifth in the Ligue 1 table.
Financial details of the transfer were undisclosed but British media reported that Southampton paid 21 million pounds($27.5 million) to land the Moroccan international.
“I’m very, very happy to sign for Southampton and I am really excited to play in St Mary’s Stadium in front of the fans,” Boufal told the club’s website (www.saintsfc.co.uk).
“Southampton showed big interest in signing me, and I can see that this club is the best place for me to continue my progression as a footballer.”
Southampton travel to Arsenal in their next Premier League game on Sept.10.
($1 = 0.7643 pounds)
(Reporting by Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
