Paco Alcacer has reportedly grown tired of life on the Barca bench and could swap La Liga for the Premier League and Southampton.
Goals, or a lack of, were perhaps the biggest problem facing Southampton last season.
The Saints only secured their survival in the penultimate game of the Premier League campaign and hit the net just 37 times in 38 games. The fact that their top scorer was seven-goal Charlie Austin, who missed four months through injury, speaks volumes.
So do not be surprised to learn that Southampton have once again been linked with Paco Alcacer.
It had been reported that Southampton manager Mark Hughes was keen to bring in the Barcelona misfit should the south coast club seal their top flight survival and, now that they will definitely be a Premier League side next season, it seems now is the time to step up the chase.
The Mirror claims that Alcacer is keen to leave the Camp Nou two years after his £30 million move from Valencia. The 24-year-old was one of the hottest prospects in Spain during his time with Los Che, even establishing himself as a contender for a starting place in the national team.
But, with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi ahead of him in the pecking order, Alcacer has managed just 14 starts in two seasons for Barcelona. He has scored ten goals in that time, however, showing off that poacher’s instinct that convinced Barca to pay big for him in the first place.
The chances are that Southampton would have to break their transfer record for Alcacer, with Barcelona obviously keen to recoup much of their investment.
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