Abakar Sylla, the 22-year-old player, experienced a dramatic transfer deadline day. Despite expectations for him to join either Southampton or Parma, he will remain with RC Strasbourg Alsace, according to Le Parisien.
Southampton and Strasbourg had been discussing a possible loan deal for Sylla on deadline day. However, reports emerged in the early evening from L’Équipe that Parma was about to finalize a loan agreement with an option to purchase Sylla, leading to the breakdown of Southampton’s talks.
Having moved down the defensive pecking order at Strasbourg, Sylla seemed poised for a loan move to Parma, with Parma holding the option to make the transfer permanent for a fee of €18 million. Nevertheless, Le Parisien indicates that the deal collapsed due to insufficient time.
L’Équipe further elaborated, stating that all necessary paperwork for Sylla’s transfer to Parma had been signed, except for the final contract. Sylla was on his way to sign, but he did not arrive in time to complete the formalities. Consequently, he will stay with Strasbourg.