Everton are reportedly keen on signing the Southampton defender, and that could play right into the south coast club’s hands.
According to a report from the the Daily Star (8 January, page 47), Southampton are looking to sign Everton forward Ademola Lookman this month, and Ralph Hasenhüttl might just have received a boost in his hopes of reuniting with the youngster.
According to The Sun (print edition, page 53, Friday, January 11, 2019), the Toffees are interested in signing Saints full-back Cedric Soares, and Hasenhüttl should use said interest in the Portuguese as leverage in his pursuit of Lookman.
Sky Sports reported in the summer that Everton value the 21-year-old at around £28 million, so if Southampton send Soares in the opposite direction, they would obviously not have to pay anywhere near that fee to secure the services of the Wandsworth-born ace.
Hasenhüttl knows Lookman well of course, having managed him during his time in charge of Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig, and he possesses all of the attributes that would certainly help Southampton improve upon the potency of their attacking play.
The 21-year-old possesses blistering pace, and plays with a certain type of fearlessness and directness that makes him ideally suited to the way in which Hasehüttl likes his teams to play.
And if Southampton do send Soares to Everton, it would surely give them a leg up in their reported pursuit of Lookman this month.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
