With his contract up at the end of the 2016/17 season, Southampton are lagging behind Arsenal and Liverpool in the race to land Rennes winger Paul-Georges Ntep, report the Hertfordshire Mercury.
According to the Daily Star, the Premier League giants are favourites to capitalise on Ntep’s availability in the New Year with the 24-year-old’s contract running down.
Registering four assists in nine appearances so far this season, Ntep has been twice capped by the French national side and also boasts the versatility of playing as a striker.
With fellow Premier League outfit Watford as well as Serie A side Lazio monitoring Ntep’s situation, it appears Southampton boss Claude Puel faces a huge battle on his hands to convince the Frenchman to sign.
In many ways, given Nathan Redmond’s transition into a striker this term, not to mention Charlie Austin’s prolific form and Sofiane Boufal needing minutes, it could be argued Southampton needs reinforcements elsewhere this January.