Southampton winger Sofiane Boufal has confirmed his desire to leave St Mary’s this summer just a day after the Premier League season concluded.
Speaking in an interview with French broadcaster SFR Sport, Boufal spoke about his interest in a return to Ligue 1 in France where he was playing before joining Saints in the summer of 2016.
The Moroccan has been frozen out at Southampton since a dispute with manager Mark Hughes, and was last included in a matchday squad for the team’s 3-2 loss to Chelsea a month ago.
In the interview, he said
"“It’s true that today a return to France interests me a great deal.“A good club in France that plays in Europe of course I would be very, very interested in returning.“It’s a league I know, a language I know. So it’s true, a return to France.“L’Olympique de Marseille remains a very big club. This year they’ve made it to the final of the Europa League.“Of course, L’OM interests me. If they are interested, why not sign for them?”“It’s true that today a return to France interests me a great deal.“A good club in France that plays in Europe of course I would be very, very interested in returning.“It’s a league I know, a language I know. So it’s true, a return to France.“L’Olympique de Marseille remains a very big club. This year they’ve made it to the final of the Europa League.“Of course, L’OM interests me. If they are interested, why not sign for them?”"
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Saints will see this as a disrespectful move from a man they splashed £16m on. The move also saw him become the club’s record signing and arrive with a big reputation.
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To date, the 24-year-old has scored just four goals and made three assists in 59 appearances on the South Coast.
Inconsistent performances have meant that he hasn’t been able to hit the heights that were expected of him in the Premier League and a move back to France now looks likely.
If Boufal is to move on, Saints fans will remember him for scoring a contender for goal of the season in the home game with West Brom in October. He produced a mazy dribble from the halfway line and matched it with a composed finish.