Sofiane Boufal's agent has claimed that both Inter Milan and Fiorentina wanted to sign the Southampton winger during the summer.
The 24-year-old scored a superb solo winner as the Saints claimed a 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion in Saturday's Premier League encounter at St Mary's Stadium.
Boufal has been restricted to five Premier League appearances under new manager Mauricio Pellegrino and, according to Yvan Le Mee, was close to departing England in the close season.
"He feels good now, he's just waiting to play more," Le Mee told SFR Sport 1.
"In August we had clubs like Inter, Fiorentina and Celta Vigo, who know what they're doing when it comes to buying players, who all wanted to buy him at any cost.
"Southampton said no though, and now he's proving he's someone who can win points."
Boufal joined Southampton from Lille in the summer of 2016 for £16.8m.
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