Racing Club starlet and reported Wolves target Carlos ‘Charly’ Alcaraz is set to arrive in England before undergoing a medical at Premier League strugglers Southampton on Tuesday, according to The Athletic.
Just last week, the beleaguered Saints were booed off by their own supporters following a 1-0 home defeat to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, chants of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ raining down like golfballs on the head of Nathan Jones.
But if Southampton fans had feared that their precarious position at the bottom of the table would have prospective January signings running for the hills, a superb start to the transfer window paints a different – altogether more positive – picture.
Mislav Orsic arrived on Friday from Dinamo Zagreb for a bargain £8 million. One of Europe’s most underrated forwards, Orsic has broken the 20-goal barrier in each of the last three seasons and helped Croatia reach the semi-finals of the Qatar World Cup as recently as December.
Southampton set to beat Wolves to Racing Club’s Carlos ‘Charly’ Alcaraz
And, according to The Athletic, Alcaraz will be joining Orsic on the banks of the Solent. The Argentine playmaker had already caught the eye of Inter Milan, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Benfica, while holding talks with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
With that in mind, 20-year-old Alcaraz could be an even bigger coup than Orsic. That is despite his comparative lack of top-level experience. The Athletic say that Alcaraz has given a move to Southampton the green light. He should undergo a medical as early as Tuesday too.
Racing Club rejected an initial £10 million bid. An offer closer to £12 million do do the trick, however. Then again, this should come as no surprise to anyone who has been watching the Alcaraz situation closely; his agent admitting a few months ago that a 15 million euro fee could convince Racing to cash in.
“We are waiting. We’ve been talking to important clubs. Around 15 million euros (could be enough to sign him),” the youngster’s representative tells Tuttosport. “The fee could be reduced by adding a sell-on clause for Racing.
“I spoke to both clubs (Inter and AC Milan) last summer. I was told they were watching Carlos.
Now, we have an option in England and Portugal. Neither Inter nor Milan directors have contacted me recently.”
Alcaraz scored nine goals from central midfield last season. Watch out for his well-timed runs into the penalty area, plus an aerial presence which belies his 5ft 9ins frame.
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