Genk sports director, Dimitri De Conde admitted he was sad to see talismanic forward Paul Onuachu leave the club.
Onuachu ended his association with the Belgian Pro League club on Tuesday, moving to Southampton in a deal worth €21m.
The 28-year-old was a cult hero during his time at the Cegeka Arena.
The Nigeria international, who joined the Limburgers from Danish club, FC Midtjylland in 2019, scored 84 goals in 134 matches.
The lanky striker also holds the record of scoring the highest number of goals in a single season in the Belgian league after netting 33 times in 38 outings during the 2020/21 campaign.
“We could no longer stop him from making his dream come true. I am pleased that Paul is also grateful to the club for that,” De Conde told HLN.
“His departure is of course a great loss for our current selection. We shouldn’t be silly about that. But we were prepared for a possible departure.”