Report discloses ace up Southampton’s sleeve they hope will convince Ruben Semedo to ignore Newcastle interest

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Southampton and Newcastle United are both interested in signing Sporting Lisbon defender Ruben Semedo this summer.

Ruben Semedo – in action against Cristiano Ronaldo – is being chased by the Premier League pair

A report in the Daily Mirror has suggested that Southampton feel that they may have something of an ace up their sleeve which may boost their chances of winning the race for Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Semedo ahead of Newcastle.

The Mirror reports that the Saints hope to hold talks with the Portuguese giants this week and are ready to meet their £12.5 million asking price, seemingly in an attempt to ensure that they do the best job they can of shutting the door on the Magpies’ potential move.

Southampton are hoping that Cedric Soares’ presence in their squad will boost their chances

But they also feel that they may be able to do a better job of convincing Semedo to make the switch to St Mary’s instead of St James’ Park as the Mirror reports that Southampton are hoping that the presence of countryman Cedric in their squad may give them an advantage.

If the Saints could win the race for the 23-year-old, it would arguably be a tremendous piece of business for the club as the centre-back has the potential to be a special player, and one that is worth considerably more than £12.5 million.

Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk could be on the move this summer

His arrival would certainly soften the blow of potentially losing Virgil van Dijk – which the Mirror suggests is highly possible this summer – and would arguably be the best statement they could make if their talisman does make a move away from the south coast.

But with so much optimism surrounding Newcastle at the moment following their promotion and the fact that Rafa Benitez is set to stay on as manager, Southampton must surely avoid becoming complacent about their chances of signing Semedo, even with Cedric’s presence potentially boosting their hopes of winning the race.

Southampton manager Claude Puel