Southampton have failed with a club-record £25m bid for Spartak Moscow star Quincy Promes, claims Sky Sports.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s side have switched their attention to signing Promes before Wednesday’s deadline after landing Guido Carrillo from Monaco in a £19m deal earlier this month.
Southampton are determined to bolster their offensive options further in a bid to enhance their chances of beating the drop but have been rebuffed in their opening approach for Promes.
The Spartak Moscow star has a £30m release clause in his contract for foreign sides and Southampton’s offer, which is £5m short of that, has been turned down by the Russian giants.
Massimo Carrera’s side understandably do not want to lose their best player midway through the season, which suggest Southampton will have to trigger his release clause to have any chance of signing him.
Promes has established himself as one of the elite players in Russia since leaving Dutch side Twente to join Spartak Moscow in 2014 and the 26-year-old has previously been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool.
The Netherlands international has scored and assisted 75 goals in 101 league matches during his time in Russia (53 goals, 22 assists), more than any other player in the division during that period.
