Southampton are trying to bolster their striker ranks and have already made contact with Barcelona over Paco Alcacer.

According to a report from the Daily Mirror, Southampton have already reached out to Barcelona and have held talks with the Catalan giants over a potential January move for Paco Alcacer, but do face competition for his signature.
The 24-year-old has endured a fairly frustrating time at the Nou Camp, struggling to hold down a place in the team since he arrived from Valencia, and it appears that he may now be on his way out of the club in January.

The Mirror reports that the Saints have already held talks with Barca about a potential move for the forward, but Alcacer is yet to be convinced that a switch to St Mary’s is the best decision for him.
The Mirror adds that Lille are also keen on the Spain international, with the Ligue 1 side languishing towards the bottom of the table and desperately struggling for goals – they have scored six in their opening eight league games.

Southampton’s league position in the Premier League is better, but they share a similar problem to Lille, with just seven goals coming in the league so far this season.
With Mauricio Pellegrino’s side facing the same issues that the Saints had under his predecessor Claude Puel last season, there can surely be no doubt that not bolstering their attacking ranks during the January window would be a huge mistake.
Signing someone of Alcacer’s quality – if they manage to alleviate his reported concerns – will send out a fantastic statement regarding Southampton’s intent.
And if they miss out on the chance in January, and fail to add another goalscorer altogether, then they are surely in danger of leaving themselves with an even greater uphill battle when they go after marquee deals in future.
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