Premier League strugglers Southampton reportedly want to sign £10m Genk right-back Joakim Maehle after his eye-catching Champions League displays.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has admitted that he ‘definitely’ wants to sign a new right-back during the January transfer window, as reported by the Independent, amid claims that Genk flyer Joakim Maehle is back on the radar.
Sky Sports claimed earlier this week that a highly-rated Danish defender has emerged as a top target for the Premier League strugglers heading into the new year.
The jet-heeled Maehle, who was also linked with a £10 million move to St Mary’s over the summer (Mail), helped Genk win the Belgian top flight title last season before catching the eye against Liverpool, Napoli and Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League group stages.
And while Hasenhuttl has not publicly identified the 22-year-old as a target, the former RB Leipzig coach has made it clear that a new right-back would be welcome.
“The window in the summer wasn’t perfect. It’s absolutely clear that we have to do something in the full back position because even now we have one out,” said Hasenhuttl, who wants cover on the left too.
“We only have Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares in these two positions, so this is definitely a position we’re looking for… We’ll do something.”
Interestingly, Hasenhuttl neglected to mention Yan Valery, the swashbuckling Frenchman who forced his way into the first-team picture once the Austrian tactician took over on the South Coast 12 months ago.
The 20-year-old right-back has started just one Premier League match since that historic 9-0 home defeat to Leicester City at the end of October, where he was arguably the worst player on the pitch.
Cedric, meanwhile, is out of contract at the end of the campaign and looks unlikely to be offered an extension.
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