Guido Carrillo is leaving Ligue 1 giants Monaco and a move to the Premier League looks inevitable, but with Southampton rather than Crystal Palace.
Guido Carrillo has never really established himself as Monaco’s first choice centre-forward during two-and-a-half years with the Ligue 1 giants.
But he could be the main man at Southampton. The Sun stated earlier in January that the Saints had made a bid to sign the super-sub centre-forward from the reigning French champions.
And the Mail is now reporting that a deal could be edging closer. Because it is understood that Southampton have held further talks with Carrillo about a possible £15 million move to St Mary’s this month.
The Argentine has been offered to a number of Premier League clubs but he is keen to link up with Mauricio Pellegrino, who he worked with during his formative years back home at Estudiantes.
This will come as a blow to the likes of Crystal Palace, who the Mail stated in December were keen to offer Carrillo a lifeline away from Monaco.
Roy Hodgson has sparked a stunning revival at Selhurst Park to guide the Eagles away from the relegation zone, but the lack of a reliable goal-scorer remains a concern. Christian Benteke, Palace’s only fit and senior centre-forward, has just one to his name this season and looks bereft of confidence.
But their loss could be Southampton’s gain. Pellegrino is under huge pressure on the South Coast and he will be hoping that the signing of his former player could keep him in the job a little longer.
Carrillo has scored just five times in 22 games in all competitions this season, but most of those appearences have come off the bench. He averages a goal or an assist every 1.08 minutes, better than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mo Salah.
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