Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo has officially signed a four-year contract with Southampton.
The 25-year-old Nigerian international is expected to join for a reported fee of £6 million, which could rise to £10 million with add-ons.
After joining Rangers from Charlton in 2019, Aribo spent three seasons at Ibrox, scoring in the previous season’s Europa League final defeat and helping Rangers win the Scottish Premiership in 2021.
It’s an amazing club with a lot of history here,” Aribo said.
“The Premier League is the best league in the world. I’ve been watching it since I was a young boy. It’s always been a goal for me to play here and show what I can do on this stage.
“It’s an amazing feeling, a dream come true. This is where I’ve wanted to be since I was a child growing up playing, so to say that I’m here now is really exciting.”
The addition of a player with “many qualities” to Southampton’s roster made manager Ralph Hasenhuttl “very pleased.”
“We believe Joe can bring energy and creativity to our side. Feeling comfortable in so many different positions is very helpful for a manager and shows he has a high level of football intelligence, with the ability to take on new information quickly,” said Hasenhuttl.
“He has played a lot of games already in his career, at a very high level, and his performances in the Europa League prove he has the quality to play in the Premier League. This is a big ambition for him, and he is hungry to show everybody he can do it.”
Aribo was described as a “very important player” who scored 26 goals in 148 appearances for the club by Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who revealed on Thursday that Aribo was anticipated to leave Ibrox.
Van Bronckhorst said, “What he’s done for this club has been fantastic.
After Mateusz Lis, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Romeo Lavia, and Gavin Bazunu, Aribo, who had one year left on his Rangers contract, is the Saints’ fifth summer addition.
