Southampton have held talks with Gianluca Scamacca but, according to Tuttosport, the Italy U21 international could be about to replace Gonzalo Higuain at Juventus instead.
If this 6ft 5ins giant is anywhere near as good as the last Italian striker to lead the line for the Saints, Scamacca would be worth every single penny that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are willing to pay for him this summer.
The Rome-born youngster has shone in the second tier of Italian football with Ascoli.
And with his fearsome physique and lethal finishing from inside the penalty area, comparisons with a certain Graziano Pelle are pretty much unavoidable.
Il Mianista reported back in May that Southampton had entered talks over a deal to bring Scamacca, who has also been labelled by some as the ‘new Zlatan Ibrahimovic’, to St Mary’s.
When you consider that the prolific Danny Ings is the only Saints player to score more than five Premier League goals this season, attacking reinforcements would most certainly be welcome on the South Coast.
But, while Southampton were already facing a challenge with AC Milan showing interest in Scamacca too, they now have a mountain to climb.
According to Tuttosport, Juventus are in the midst of identifying talented young strikers capable of replacing the ageing Gonzalo Higuain in Turin.
Although the Sassuolo-owned Scamacca is completely unproven at Serie A level, Juve’s interest speaks volumes about his potential.
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