Southampton sign Ibrahima Diallo

Southampton Football Club has announced the transfer of France Under-21 international Ibrahima Diallo. The central midfielder has joined on a four-year contract from Ligue 1 side Brest, having passed a medical over the weekend, becoming the third addition of the summer to Ralph Hasenhüttl’s squad.

A highly-rated prospect, Diallo graduated from the Monaco academy before going on to make his name with Brest, a club he signed for permanently in 2019 following an initial successful loan spell.

In his first season there, in 2018/19, Diallo made 28 appearances as he helped the side to promotion from Ligue 2, with another 27 following since their return to the French top flight.

On the international scene, Diallo received his first cap for the France Under-21 team last month, starting in a 2-1 win away to Azerbaijan in a European Championship qualifier, meaning he has now represented his country at every youth level from Under-18s upwards.

Diallo will link up with his new teammates at Staplewood Campus following the international break, with the youngster again selected for the Under-21s’ upcoming qualifiers with Liechtenstein and Slovakia.

Ralph Hasenhüttl said: “We are happy to bring him in here. He is an important signing for us, because in midfield we only have so many alternatives, and he showed in France that he is a fantastic midfield player. I am very happy that he will come to us and hopefully he will have a good time with us.

“He’s a very smart one, a very clever one, he reads the game very well. He’s also quick and dynamic, against the ball very aggressive and with the ball also with good decision making, so he is a player who I think fits perfectly in our team.”