Football League World
·11 August 2025
Southampton FC midfielder set to leave St Mary's - medical on Tuesday

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·11 August 2025
The teenager is set to leave St Mary's and head back to continental Europe.
Southampton have agreed a deal with Spanish side Real Betis that will see their teenage midfielder, Daouda Traore, join them on loan for this season.
A number of Russell Martin's second summer signings haven't panned out as some may have hoped. For sections of them, there isn't much time to correct their career with the Saints. Traore, meanwhile, could have plenty of years ahead of him with the Hampshire side.
Having joined Southampton from OGC Nice on Deadline Day, the 19-year-old centre-mid is still yet to make his competitive debut for the club. Instead, immediately upon signing, he joined another French side, Valenciennes, on a temporary deal that saw him play all of his 2024/25 football outside of England.
Traore is set for a similar experience again this season. According to Fabrice Hawkins, Southampton have said yes to another loan move for the teenager, this time to Real Betis, and a medical has been scheduled for Tuesday as the player edges closer to joining Manuel Pellegrini's side.
There, he will be in the company of well-known names such as Isco, Hector Bellerin and Junior Firpo.
Should the Frenchman pass his medical and have a successful spell with Betis, they may opt to trigger the €2 million buy-option that is included in their deal with the Saints. According to French outlet L'Equipe, Traore was bought for between €700,000-800,000 last summer.
Saints boss Will Still has said that he is looking to cut off any excess fat from his squad ahead of the new campaign. Southampton got off to a good start with a dramatic 2-1 win over Championship newcomers Wrexham by scoring in the 90th and 96th minutes. "Now's the time that we need to cut the chain," said Still, via the BBC.
"We'll decide who's going to go and who will be here so we can start building towards an 11 and 15. But we have to give everyone an opportunity to see them and establish who is where. We have done that now."
The Anglo-Belgian coach already has a strong abundance of central midfielders to pick from. Shea Charles and Flynn Downes were the two that he opted for in his starting XI against the Welsh side on Saturday. Mateus Fernandes was on the bench and Will Smallbone wasn't involved at all due to a calf injury that is going to keep him out for "a little while."
With these options in Traore's position, it wouldn't make sense for Southampton to hold onto a young player like Traore and not give him the chance to learn and develop somewhere that is going to give him a better chance at getting regular minutes.
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