Southampton are prepared to offer Rayo Valladolid €10m (£8.53m) in an attempt to sign 20-year-old central defender Mohammed Salisu in the January window.
Pucela Fichajes report via Sport Witness that the Saints are seriously keen on a move for the young defender who has been impressive this season for the La Liga club, with stats from Transfermarkt showing that Salisu has started every game for the Spanish side this campaign, scoring one goal in the process.
The defender has been linked with a move to the Premier League since breaking through with Valladolid this season, with Diario de Valladolid reporting via The Daily Mail that English giants Manchester United, as well as Everton, Newcastle United and Norwich City, are also keen on the Ghanaian youngster.
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Yet it seems that Southampton are the first club to make a concrete offer for the 20-year-old defensive prodigy, with Ralph Hasenhuttl admitting this month via Sky Sports News that he is eager to improve the Saints’ defence this month, and Salisu could be a solid addition to the squad.
As stats from WhoScored show, the African defender manages more tackles per 90 than Jannik Vestergaard with Salisu making 1.3 challenges compared to the Dane’s 1.1 per game as well as the Valladolid youngster making more blocks per game than both the Southampton defender as well as teammate Jan Bednarek.
With Southampton not out of the woods yet in terms of escaping a relegation battle, extra quality in the defence will be key for Hasenhuttl heading into the second half of the season, and Salisu could be the a man to dig the south coast side out of trouble for good should the Premier League side reach a deal with Valladolid for the youngster’s signature.
