Arriving on loan to Marseille from AS Roma on transfer deadline day last summer, William Vainqueur has become a key-part of the Ligue 1 side’s first-team, and survived a managerial change, with Rudi Garcia now at the helm.
In fact, he has been so vital and impressive for Dimitri Payet’s old-new team that Southampton made an approach to AS Roma in January to see if they could cut his loan short to sign him.
According to L’Equipe, both Claude Puel’s team and Villarreal in Spain based the Serie A outfit for a transfer in January, but instead of trying to get money, Roma respected the player’s wishes.
While a move to Southampton in the Premier League would certainly be inviting, Vainqueur made it clear he wants to establish himself in a club he likes, such as Marseille.
However, there is some hope for the Saints that a deal could be done in the summer as the loan deal currently keeping him at Marseille does not include an option to buy, meaning the Ligue 1 side would have to negotiate a fresh deal with Roma to acquire his services permanently.
This, of course, gives Southampton another chance to get a man they were seemingly desperate to sign in January.
Then again, if Vainqueur wants to stay at Marseille, and Franck McCourt, their new owner, is prepared to spend the money to keep him there, it could all be for nothing.
