Southampton complete deal for forward Brereton Diaz
Ben Brereton Diaz was named Chilean footballer of the year in 2022
- Published
Southampton have completed the signing of forward Ben Brereton Diaz from Villarreal for about £7m.
The Chile striker has signed a four-year deal at St Mary's to end a 12-month stay at the Spanish club.
Brereton Diaz moved to La Liga on a free transfer after his contract expired at Blackburn but failed to score in 20 appearances.
"I'm absolutely buzzing. It’s been smooth these past couple of days, and I’m happy to get everything sorted and signed," he said.
"I’m really excited to meet everyone - it’s great to be involved with this great club.
“Watching the club when I was younger, it was always in the Premier League. Everything has aligned together and I think it’s an amazing club. I can’t wait to get started.”
Brereton Diaz spent the second half of last season on loan at Sheffield United, scoring six goals in 14 Premier League appearances.
Southampton had been looking for a new forward after Che Adams opted to join Torino this month having rejected new contract offers from Saints.
Brereton Diaz started his career at Nottingham Forest before spending five years at Blackburn Rovers, scoring 47 goals in 177 appearances.
He switched international allegiance to Chile after coming through England's youth set-up and made his debut in 2021.
The 25-year-old played in Chile's three games at the Copa America last month as La Roja finished third in Group A, behind Argentina and Canada.
He joins summer signings Adam Lallana, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Charlie Taylor, Ronnie Edwards, Nathan Wood, Yukinari Sugawara and Flynn Downes as Saints prepare for their Premier League return after winning last season's Championship play-offs.