Southampton agree £8.6m Damion Downs deal - Saints fans are reacting | OneFootball

Damion Downs joined Southampton last summer from FC Koln

Southampton have agreed a loan deal with Hamburg for summer signing Damion Downs.

According to German outlet Bild, an agreement has been struck between the two clubs and the forward has now left England to complete the switch.

Downs was signed from FC Koln last summer following their relegation from the Premier League.

The American joined in a deal worth a reported €8 (£6.9) million, but has struggled for consistent game time at St. Mary’s.

The 21-year-old has made 11 appearances in the Championship for the Saints, but has failed to register a single goal for the club.

Damion Downs set for Southampton exit

Downs is reportedly set for a move back to Germany after an agreement was struck between Southampton and Hamburg.

The striker is set to move to the Bundesliga side on loan, with a €10 (£8.6) million option to buy clause as part of the deal.

It’s believed that both the manager and sporting director, Clause Costa and Merlin Polzin, were key to convincing him to make the switch amid competition from German rivals.

Downs is already in Germany, and will need to complete a medical in order to finalise the switch away from St. Mary’s.

Supporters have expressed their surprise at the cost of the buy option clause as part of this deal, particularly because of the lack of quality he showed in the first half of the campaign.

Fans were not expecting a potential profit on the £6.9 million paid to sign him last summer.

Many have claimed that they would’ve been happy with just a dry loan, as they wouldn’t have expected any interest in a permanent option.

Supporters believe that this is a good deal for the club, and a positive start to the January window.

The forward’s last appearance for the club came on 25 November when he came off the bench in a 3-0 win over Leicester City.

Southampton are 15th in the Championship table, eight points adrift of the play-offs ahead of their FA Cup third round clash with Doncaster Rovers on 10 January.

Damion Downs deal is good business for Southampton

There are no guarantees that Downs will convince Hamburg to trigger the buy option as part of this deal, but it still sets a favourable asking price in the summer if he does perform well.

Given his lack of game time under Eckert, this is a very smart piece of business for Southampton.

This move will afford him the opportunity to reset and rebuild his confidence away from St. Mary’s after a difficult first half of the season.