The Saints are moving to beat other rivals to the signing of the prolific Nigerian international
FC Lorient have rejected a first bid from Southampton for Super Eagles striker Terem Moffi, according to multiple sources from France.
Southampton were reportedly leading the race for Moffi and have since firmed up their interest in the Nigerian forward.
As per Ouest-France, the Saints have tabled a bid of between ten to 15 million euros for Moffi just days into the January transfer window.
It is a bid, however, below Lorient's valuation of their star forward and it has been promptly rejected. Southampton are expected to make a new offer for Moffi, who Lorient values at around €25 million.
The Saints are aware they are not the only suitors interested in Moffi with the 23-year-old reportedly on the radar of several other Premier League clubs including West Ham, Brighton, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace.
Lorient signed Moffi from Belgian side KV Kortrijk in October 2020 for only €8 million on a four-year deal that will expire in 2024.
Incredibly, KV Kortrijk got Moffi from Latvian side Riteriai in January 2020 for €150,000 and made nearly eight million euros profit on his sale ten months later.
Moffi currently has an estimated value of €15 million after netting 33 goals for Les Merlus in all competitions over the last two and a half years.
This season alone, the Super Eagles striker has hit the net ten times in 16 Ligue 1 matches.
