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Report: Southampton leads chase for USMNT midfielder McKennie

Weston McKennie has previously stated his interest of playing in the English Premier League and reportedly could be close to a move from Germany this summer.

Southampton lead a five-team race for the U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder’s services, but will first have to unload Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in order to obtain McKennie, Express reports. Saints are also joined by fellow EPL clubs Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool, Everton, and Newcastle United for McKennie’s signature.

Hojbjerg has been linked with a summer move to Tottenham, making the possibility of McKennie coming to St. Mary’s Stadium become more of a reality.

McKennie, 21, was a key performer for Schalke this season when healthy, scoring three goals and adding one assist in 32 combined appearances. However, McKennie couldn’t help Schalke avoid a 15-match winless run in all competitions to end the domestic season, with the Gelsenkirchen side finishing 12th in the 18-team Bundesliga table.

Hertha Berlin were also in the mix for McKennie this summer, who reportedly wanted out at Schalke. McKennie’s current deal with the club runs until 2024, but the club may be forced to sell him if the right offer comes.

Current Saints manager Ralph Hassenhuttl also watched McKennie in the Bundesliga when he was head coach at RB Leipzig. He led the Saints to an 11th place finish in the Premier League this season, two points from a place in the top-ten.

Should McKennie join Southampton, he will join fellow USMNT teammate Christian Pulisic in the EPL next season.

Comments

  1. Pulisic jersey sales are probably good, so they feel like they can pay for him. Otherwise why would they bother, they finished 11th this year.

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    • What an odd comment, they want to win more games, they want to stay in the league, why wouldn’t any team want good players?

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      • I strongly disagree with them wanting to win MORE games, at least paying 32 million type of want. johnnyrazor knows more than I do, but I am guessing that would one of their biggest
        signings ever.
        maybe they feel like they can move him on for more? I didnt think so, so can they make money other ways? 11th obviously is great for them.

    • Wes would be a replacement for Hojberg (reportedly heading to Spurs). Hojberg was signed in 2016 from Bayern but after a successful loan with Schalke for 16.5 million Euro. Both Hojberg and McKennie are valued about the same 20-25 million, but Southampton would be hoping to capitalize on a Schalke fire sale. They’d end up with a player of similar ability whose 3 years younger and maybe make a few bucks and perhaps pick up Kyle Walker-Peters as part of the deal with Spurs. Southampton have bought 2 to 3 players every year in McKennie’s price range so even though they are mid table that spending is pretty normal.

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      • Of course just read Schalke is holding out at 32 million which would be pretty high for Southampton for a CM during a pandemic.

    • Hojberg is their current best midfielder and he wants to leave McKennie would be a similar player. It’s more trying to keep the status quo than move the bar forward. 32 million I believe would be a club record.

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  2. A good team will get him to a higher level. Everton would be very interesting. I like Brendan R’s 4 4 2 for him. Wolves are tough as nails, so I see why they would want him. Actually all three teams are not afraid to play short passes and to press.

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  3. A former B.1 coach being interested would be a good sign as it would suggest he would be a more concrete and less abstract transfer target. Someone the coach likes as opposed to a merely scouted or shirt selling choice. I also like mid table, not top where he sits or bottom where they would be desperate. Some stability.
    Schalke was better this season, but they’re still kind of slapped together and playing him 4 different places on 2 different lines, after the previous season playing him 7 different positions and basically every line but keeper. That may reflect a versatile athlete and youthful promise but he’s fairly raw and a stronger future would be based on him learning well how to play 1-2 positions and staying put.

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    • Hassenhutl certainly has a lot of contacts in Bundesliga but Wes played all of 11 mins against him in the season opener. Wes did play quite a bit in the run up to the 2nd match of the year so he would have done some scouting of him even though Wes did not play in that match. Seems like a good match they seem to stay mid table every year and aren’t a perpetual relegation zone team. They played a 4-4-2 empty bucket which would suit Wes. Not much chance of playing in European competitions.

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      • To me a league coach doing his job would have seen the film, and that plus a few minutes of head to head would leave an impression. I like the idea better of our players going to a coach who got an impression and wants them — Adams for example — as opposed to just going to someplace that went down a scouting list or decided they wanted to sell jerseys in the US market. You even see with Pulisic where he was not Lampard’s choice — pre-signed before him — and that was a lengthened transition. The downside can be that the next coach may have no particular affection.

    • I’m not disagreeing with your point just trying to educate you because the article was a little misleading since it was only one year of overlap. In that year McKennie had less minutes for Schalke than Wright did for VVV in this pandemic shortened season.

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