According to reports in The Sun, Southampton have had a £4.5m offer for Lech Poznan defender Jan Bednarek rejected.
The 21-year-old centre-back is currently featuring for Poland at the European Under-21 Championships in his home nation after becoming a regular for his club side, and has been identified as a potential new signing by Saints executive director Les Reed and director of scouting Ross Wilson.
The need for a new central defender could be a priority with the future of captain Virgil van Dijk in doubt, while they are still yet to replace Jose Fonte with Martin Caceres being released at the end of his short-term contract.
The south coast outfit’s transfer business certainly won’t be restricted by the fact that they are yet to appoint Claude Puel’s successor as manager, as they identify their targets in-house.
While those same scouts will certainly be keeping a close eye on Bendarek during the tournament, there will be a number of other players on show that could improve their squad ahead of next season.
Here are three other European Under-21 Championship stars Southampton should sign…
Marco Bennassi
The 22-year-old has been a regular for Torino in the centre of midfield for the last three seasons despite his somewhat tender years and he is also the Italy captain at the European Under-21 Championships.
Benassi could be the ideal midfield partner for Oriol Romeu as he is strong, has great energy, loves a tackle but also has an eye for goal – something that Southampton are lacking at the current time.
The Italy skipper scored five goals in 28 Serie A appearances last term and with his leadership skills, he could be a great addition as Saints look to push for Europe again next season.
Marcus Ingvartsen
The Danish centre-forward is currently featuring for FC Nordsjaelland in his home country, but you can’t imagine that will be the case for much longer.
The 21-year-old scored 23 goals and provided a further four assists in 36 appearances in all competitions for the Superliagen outfit last term, while he has an impressive eight in nine for the Denmark Under-21 side.
With the future of Jay Rodriguez seemingly in doubt, Southampton could be looking for a young striker to add to their ranks and Ingvartsen could be an affordable option with plenty of potential.
Milan Skriniar
The Slovakian centre-back joined Serie A outfit Sampdoria from MSK Zilina 18 months ago but the 22-year-old has gone on to become a permanent fixture in the backline – he made 35 Serie A appearances last term.
While he is playing for the Slovakia Under-21 side at this tournament, Skriniar already has seven caps for the senior side and he looks set to have a bright future in the game.
Both tall and strong, the central defender looks to have all of the right attributes to be a success in the Premier League and he could be an interesting alternative to Jan Bednarek for Saints.
Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.
