Southampton have announced the signing of Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina for a club-record fee.
The box-to-box Gabon international has signed a five-year deal with the Saints and joins for a reported £15.4 million – rising to £18.1 million.
The 23-year-old, who started his career at French club FC Lorient and has since gone on to play for Marseille and the Old Lady, will add to the competition to the heart of the Southampton team and is likely to slot in alongside Oriol Romeu.
Lemina is Mauricio Pellegrino’s second signing, following the capture of Polish defender Jan Bednarek, and has also played as a winger, a right-back, a right wing-back and as a centre-back as part of a three-man defence when representing Marseille.
The new arrival, who made 42 appearances in two years for Juventus, is likely to go straight into Southampton’s squad for the opening day of the season fixture against Swansea on Saturday.