Saints have signed Morocco youth talent Yunus Linton on a three-year deal (Image: Chris Moorhouse / Southampton FC)
Saints have signed Morocco youth talent Yunus Linton on a three-year deal (Image: Chris Moorhouse / Southampton FC)
SAINTS have fought off interest from clubs elsewhere to sign Moroccan youth international Yunus Linton on his first professional contract.
The 17 year old has put pen to paper on a three-year deal until 2029 and will initially link up with Andrew Surman's under-18s side at Staplewood.
The London-born attacking midfielder had represented England in earlier age groups, including the under-15s, while he was on the books at Chelsea.
Linton made three appearances for Chelsea's under-18s this season, and has been called up to Morocco's under-17s ahead of a World Cup in November.
Director of group talent strategy Andy Goldie said: "Yunus is another exciting addition to our PDP programme, providing greater depth of competition.
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Yunus Linton signs for Southampton FC at Staplewood Campus, Marchwood, on September 14, 2026 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Chris Moorhouse/Southampton FC via Getty Images)
Yunus Linton will initially play for the under-18s (Image: Chris Moorhouse / Southampton FC)
"He is a different profile to what we have in the pathway, and he's an exciting young talent who has developed outside the academy system.
"He had attracted strong interest from other Premier League and European clubs for his signature, so it's great credit to our talent recruitment teams.
"We were able to win the race for his signature, and we now look forward to supporting the next stages of his development at Staplewood."
Saints beat several clubs to secure the promising talent's signature, including Brentford, Monaco and Lille, amongst other European outfits.
Academy scouts Nick Brown and Chris Robinson are credited with identifying Linton, before talent acquisition chief Mariela Nisotaki worked the deal.