Genk sports director Dimitri De Conde has revealed that the Belgian club were prepared to make Paul Onuachu their record signing before the striker eventually ended up at Turkish giants Trabzonspor.
Onuachu himself was keen to return to Genk.
“It was a very serious case. You should know that Paul absolutely wanted to return. And we as a club were prepared to make it the largest incoming transfer for Genk in financial terms. That was all worked out,” Conde opened up on the Genk YouTube Channel.
The transaction to get Onuachu back was to include Ghana international winger Joseph Paintsil moving in the opposite direction to Southampton, but in the end the Ghana international rejected the swap deal.
“For Southampton, it had to be done through an exchange with Paintsil,” Conde further explained.
“And at the end of the day he did not want to go. They were not able to convince him and I am very happy that Joseph is with us with his heart. But in the end that was at the expense of Paul.”
Paintsil said a move by him to Southampton did not feel right even with pressure from even his mother.
