This silly season has seen a lot of action surrounding FC Schalke and USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie. Last week it was very well documented that his potential move within the Bundesliga to Hertha Berlin broke down.
Word is that the rising American star-in-the-making prefers a move to the Premier League, over staying in Germany. And according to ESPN, Southampton are leading the chase to acquire him.
An ESPN FC report today says that “Southampton are at the head of the queue for McKennie’s signature as they chase a deal worth in the region of £20 million.”
McKennie has also been linked to the likes of Everton, Leicester City and Newcastle United among others this summer. Overall this transfer window has been lacking splash signings, and some days the activity has been minimal.
However, Southampton FC have made some moves already to strengthen their side, being bolder than some sides who typically finish higher than they do in the table.
Having acquired Kyle Walker-Peters from Tottenham Hotspur on loan in mid-season, they have since signed him on a permanent deal, for £12 million.
Southampton also signed central defender Mohammed Salisu from Real Vallodolid for £11m. However, they also sold star midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Tottenham for £15m, and that void must be filled. McKennie is looked upon as being the potential replacement, but don’t expect this deal to be made official and announced any time soon.
Before the south coast club can acquire the 21-year-old Stars and Stripes prodigy, they need to raise some funds by offloading a bunch of their deadwood first.
According to Sky Sports, via NBC, “Schalke value him at over $26.4 million.”
Weston McKennie is no Christian Pulisic by any means, but he is considered probably the second most talented and valuable player in the USA side right now. He didn’t play at Uerdingen in a preseason friendly yesterday, with the official reason “being rested due to a patellar tendon problem.”
Of course, many football pundits and observers believe Schalke held Weston McKennie out for a completely different reason- making sure he doesn’t get hurt, and thus see his value in the transfer market suffer when a potential deal could be getting close soon.
“Weston is very focused on raising his level,” said McKennie’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter.
“When you think about the Premier League, it’s the best league in the world. It’s exciting. We wish him the best and hope it’s concluded sooner rather than later.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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