Southampton could make a move for Lyon striker Moussa Dembélé this summer if the club can “sell the project” to the former Celtic star.
That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who has been speaking to This is Futbol about Ralph Hasenhüttl’s transfer business at St Mary’s ahead of August’s Premier League kick-off.
According to The Sun, 26-year-old Dembele could be available for as little as £10m this summer, with the forward entering the final year of his contract at the French giants.
The Saints have already made five signings this summer, but are yet to bring in a forward option during the window thus far.
And O’Rourke believes that Dembélé could consider a move to St Mary’s if the club are able to sell their project to him.
The reporter said: “He’s probably thinking he could maybe get a bigger club than Southampton, which is no disrespect to them.
“But it will be interesting to see if Southampton could sell the project to him, because it does look like they are changing things at Southampton, going down the younger route with some of their signings so far this summer.
“I think the Premier League’s an attractive proposition for any player right now.
“Southampton are such a well-run club and it’s something that Dembélé would definitely consider.”
TIF Thoughts on O’Rourke’s comments…
We believe that Dembélé, who has been called ‘unstoppable’ during his time at Celtic, would be an excellent addition for Southampton, and the St Mary’s faithful will be hoping that they can indeed sell the proposition of leading the line for the south coast club this season.
The £18m-rated man scored 22 goals and provided five assists in 35 appearances for Lyon last season according to Transfermarkt, suggesting that the Frenchman knows where the back of the net is.
We think that Southampton should be doing everything they can to push this deal over the line, as £10m for a proven goalscorer is a bargain in the modern game, while Hasenhüttl would surely be delighted to have a genuine goal threat amongst his ranks.