Transfer: Onuachu/Painstil swap deal collapses

A potential deal that would have seen Southampton swap Paul Onuachu for Genk winger Joseph Painstil has collapsed.

According to The Athletic, the two clubs reached agreement and aimed to complete deal valuing both at €8m + €2m add-ons.

However, the players have rejected the move.

The deal would have seen Onuachu return to Belgium where he made his name.

Over the course of three and a half seasons with Genk, the Super Eagles striker scored 85 times and earned a whopping £18.6 million move to Premier League strugglers Southampton in the hopes of turning their fortunes around.

Unfortunately, Onuachu has never got going with the Saints and has yet to score a single goal since joining the club in January 2023, featuring twelve times in total across three separate managers.

It was reported last week by journalist Sacha Tavolieri that Southampton were working on a swap deal with Genk which would see Onuachu head back to the club where he excelled. Meanwhile, the deal would see Ghanaian winger Joseph Paintsil head over to the English South Coast.

The saga went quiet for eight days, prompting Tavolieri to add last night that any potential move was ‘not totally over’.