Back in December, a Premier League battle to sign Montpellier’s Ryad Boudebouz appeared to be in the making.
Le Buteur in Algeria reported that Southampton, West Brom and West Ham had all travelled to watch the attacking midfielder, but also managed to rule out a January transfer all in one go.
The playmaker certainly stayed in the south of France, but with the summer transfer window just around the corner, things are set to be very different.
Aware of the interest in their star, Montpellier have, according to France Football this week, set their price for the 27-year-old: €15m.
At such a low fee for a player capable of both creating and scoring, Claude Puel, Tony Pulis and Slaven Bilic could end up with a steal if they were to make their move.
With 11 goals and nine assists to his name in 29 appearances in all competitions this season, Boudebouz has the ability change a game with one shot or a great free-kick delivery, a skill which wouldn’t go amiss at St Mary’s, The Hawthorns or the London Stadium after a relatively low scoring season for each of the three Premier League sides.
Both Southampton (37) and West Brom (39) are yet to score more than 40 goals in the league this season, and while West Ham have with 44, they are still some way off the 65 they managed last year.
Don’t be surprised to see Boudebouz’s name appear more and more alongside Premier League sides in the coming weeks, especially now that his price appears to have been set.
