On Saturday, FirenzeViola reported Southampton are about a seal a move for Fiorentina’s Jonathan Ikone.
They claimed that the winger was interested in a switch to St Mary’s, despite the Saints’ relegation, and a deal was going to be sealed for around €4m.
There has been a twist and it seems like Southampton will miss out.
Tuttomercatoweb report Paris FC, who were previously in the chase, have returned to beat Will Still’s side to the move, despite having offered a lower base fee.
The outlet note that the French club will pay €3m and have handed Fiorentina a percentage of a future resale in their offer, and this has convinced La Viola.
This seems to be in contrast with what FirenzeViola reported, especially because TMW report that Paris FC have ‘outbid’ other clubs, which suggests that the South Coast side might have offered less than €4m.
A move back to France may have appealed to the 27-year-old and that is perhaps why Southampton have missed out, with Ikone also set to reunite with former Fiorentina teammate Maxime Lopez.