Southampton close to £7m Brereton Diaz signing

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Southampton are nearing a £7 million deal to sign forward Ben Brereton Diaz from Spanish club Villarreal.

The 25-year-old is set to complete his transfer to St Mary’s, concluding his brief stint in Spain. He joined Villarreal last summer after leaving Blackburn, where he spent five years.

However, Brereton Diaz struggled to make an impact at the La Liga side, failing to score in 20 appearances, with only six of those being starts.

He was loaned to Sheffield United in January, where he scored six goals in 14 Premier League matches, though he could not prevent the team’s relegation.

With Southampton returning to the Premier League last season after winning the Championship play-offs, they have been actively seeking a forward following Che Adams’ departure to Torino on a free transfer.

Brereton Diaz recently played in all three of Chile’s matches at the Copa America, where La Roja finished third in Group A, behind Argentina and Canada.

Additionally, Southampton have agreed to sign Sao Paulo forward Juan and left-back Wellington, who will join the club in January 2025 after their contracts with the Brazilian Serie A side expire.