Southampton make double goalkeeping swoop by signing £12m Gavin Bazunu and free transfer Mateusz Lis

Southampton have bolstered their goalkeeping options by completing deals for Gavin Bazunu and Mateusz Lis.

The pair have both signed five-year deals with the club and add some much-needed depth at the position for the Saints, following the recent departures of Fraser Forster and Harry Lewis.

Bazunu arrives from Manchester City for a reported fee of £12million, having spent last season on loan at Southampton’s local rivals Portsmouth.

The 20-year-old was voted Players’ Player of the Year last season at Fratton Park, and he has already won 10 senior caps for the Republic of Ireland.

Bazunu is looking forward to the opportunity to compete for a place in the starting line-up at St Mary’s.

He said: ‘I feel like it’s a place I can come and develop and learn my game. The biggest thing is opportunity – the fact that I can come here and have a chance to play regular football. 

‘Just to be given that opportunity to fight for my place is the biggest thing that I could’ve asked for.’

Lis has joined on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Turkish club Altay, pending the approval of a work permit.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said: ‘Mateusz is a player who has a lot of the right attributes we look for in a goalkeeper, and still with his best years ahead of him.

‘Of course, it was a priority for us to strengthen this department in the summer, and Mateusz is an important addition who we hope will be able to help us in the future.’