Southampton sign Kamaldeen Sulemana for club-record fee, also bring in Paul Onuachu

The Saints confirmed the double deal more than an hour after the 11pm transfer deadline had passed, and shortly after they were knocked out of the EFL Cup semi-finals at the hands of Newcastle United.

The arrival of Sulemana is a club-record signing for the Saints, with the 20-year-old joining on a four-and-a-half-year deal which will keep him at St Mary's until the summer of 2027.

The fee to take the Ghana international to the South Coast is thought to be around £22m, surpassing the £20m Southampton paid to sign Danny Ings from Liverpool in 2019.

"This is another really positive addition for us this month. We've obviously been keen to add a little more potency to the side, and Kamaldeen is someone who does that for us," Southampton boss Nathan Jones told the club's official website.

"He's at a stage in his career where we feel he can help us in the immediate term, but also continue to grow and develop further into the future."

Sulemana, who clocked the fastest speed of any player during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, leaves Rennes having scored six goals in 47 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit.

The record arrival was quickly followed through the door by Onuachu, who has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal until 2026.

The 28-year-old forward is understood to have cost Southampton around £18.5m, having scored a league-leading 17 goals in 22 appearances in the Belgian top flight this season.

In total, the 6ft 7in striker netted 85 times in 134 games for Genk following his 2019 switch from Danish side FC Midtjylland.

"Paul is a significant signing for us and completes what has been an extremely positive month in terms of recruitment," Jones added on Onuachu's arrival.

"He's a handful to play against, has got a tremendous record throughout his career and he's also someone who brings great experience with him, so he'll be a really positive addition to the squad."

Nigeria international Onuachu is Southampton's fifth signing of the January window, following Sulemana, Mislav Orsic, Charly Alcaraz and James Bree through the door at St Mary's.

Both players could make their debuts for Jones's side when they take on Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Saints currently sit rock-bottom of the Premier League table, but are only two points from safety and three points adrift of 14th-placed Leicester City.