Rennes have reached an agreement to sign Real Valladolid defender Mohammed Salisu in a €12m deal.
That is according to RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi, who claims that bonuses are included in the deal but the player still needs to agree to the proposal with Premier League side Southampton also said to be linked.
Earlier this week, Mundo Deportivo cited French broadcaster RMC Sport as reporting that Rennes bid €8m for the defender, €4m short of his release clause.
The central defender’s contract at Valladolid runs through until 2022 having been penned back in May, while he is yet to be capped for the Ghanaian national team.
He is viewed as a rising star by the club but is also seen as still having a great deal of room for improvement so may view his next move as a ‘stepping stone’.
Marca reported in April that Atletico Madrid were favourites for Salisu this summer while a report in Diario de Valladolid from November claimed the defender had emerged as a transfer target for English giants Manchester United.
The player’s agent is the father of United playmaker Juan Mata and the Red Devils have been alerted to his €12m release clause – viewed as affordable, and the club have extensively scouted the 20-year-old.
Valladolid are concerned the player will depart for his release clause as they see his value as being far in excess of this amount, with the report adding his skillset is ‘tailored for English football’.
Everton, Newcastle and Norwich City are three other English clubs who have been linked to Salisu, who debuted for Valladolid this season after replacing Fernando Calero, who was sold to Espanyol last summer.
