SAINTS have completed the signing of Mohamed ‘Moi’ Elyounoussi from Swiss side Basel for a fee believed to be around £16m.

The 23-year-old attacking midfielder signs a five-year contract at St Mary’s and comes in off the back of Dusan Tadic’s £15m exit to Ajax earlier this week.

He is Saints' second summer signing, after the £7m arrival of Stuart Armstrong earlier this week from Celtic.

“Delighted to have him. The club have done a lot of work in term of following and tracking him and he was aware of that interest,” Saints boss Mark Hughes said.

“That’s important sometimes when the players have a lot of options, which he did. Undoubtedly, a lot of good clubs were after him.

“But that understanding that the club have tracked him for a long, long time... that resonates.

“Obviously, I was aware of him as well, even prior to coming here, so was really pleased to hear that he was one of the club’s targets.

“He’s an exciting player but his age and the level where he is now, in terms of his development, is perfect.

“He’s made good decisions in his career up to this point and this is a big decision to come now into the Premier League.

“My belief is it’s perfect, we’ve done this at the right time. He’s got a lot of experience, he’s played in the Champions League games and won titles in Switzerland.

“We’re excited by him and, when our fans see him, they'll understand the player he is. He’s very direct, has good pace and good ability in one v one situations as well.

“People will enjoy watching him.”

Commenting on the move, Elyounoussi said: “I’m really happy to be here and I am really excited to get started.

“The club has been following me for a long time, watching many games, so I feel really confident to come here and to get even better and develop myself.

“It’s a family club that is known for bringing in players, developing them and for younger players to get better.

“I’m a hard worker on the pitch and I like to create chances, either for me or to play others through. That’s where I’m at my best, when I can use my creativity, so I think the philosophy of the club will suit me very well.”