Genk technical director Dimitri De Condé has ruled out a move for Southampton flop Paul Onuachu this summer, saying a deal doesn’t make sense financially for them.
De Condé has been speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws, relayed by Voetbal Primeur, about the striker and why he won’t be a target for them this summer.
Onuachu spent four years at Genk and was the undisputed star of the team, with 85 goals and ten assists in 134 games for the club.
He eventually left in the January transfer window last year, joining Southampton in an €18m deal on deadline day.
That move turned out to be a disaster for all parties, though, as he managed just 12 appearances and 426 minutes of football for the Saints as they were relegated from the Premier League.
He left on loan in the summer, joining Trabzonspor in Turkey, a move which has helped revive his fortunes, with him managing 15 goals and four assists in 21 league games this season.
They’ve been working on a permanent deal but so far that’s not come to fruition, and he’ll be returning to Southampton, who are likely to be keen to move him on if they can.
Genk are unlikely to be in the mix, though, with De Condé insisting a deal doesn’t make sense for them financially, and hinting the striker’s previous attempts to leave have soured the relationship they have.
“The truth is that as a Golden Shoe, he did not play the first two months and there were even voices in the club to sell him,” he said.
“Paul himself said: ‘I am interested and would possibly like to go to Club Brugge,’. That’s where I put my head. In January he still left.
“I don’t think that makes financial sense for us,” he added on the prospect of signing him this summer.
