Southampton and Burnley are allegedly keen on £15 million-rated FC Rostov midfielder Mathias Normann, with VG claiming that the Norwegian wants to leave the Russian outfit in January.
If Brighton could turn back the clock, you’d imagine they would have second thoughts about giving up on a man who failed to make a single first-team appearance at the Amex between 2017 and 2019.
Because, two years after leaving the Seagulls in a £1.5 million deal, reports from Scandinavia suggest that Normann could be on his way back to the South Coast.
Local rivals Southampton are reportedly keen, along with Sean Dyche’s Burnley. Normann has made it clear that he wants to leave Rostov next month, with the Russians demanding £15 million for their tough-tackling defensive midfielder.
CSKA Moscow, Zenit St Petersburg, Spartak and Krasnodar are also interested.
Speaking to VG last year, Norway coach Lars Lagerback compared Normann to a certain Barcelona superstar; albeit due to his diminutive frame, rather than an eye for a shimmying solo goal.
“He’s not that tall. He is 1.77m (5ft 10ins) I think, but he has a very low centre of gravity. You can compare him with (Lionel) Messi when it comes to the low centre of gravity,” Lagerback said.
“He is fantastic when he has the ball. He is a very good passer and he’s physically strong.”
Southampton have a superb track record when it comes to signing under-the-radar gems, a la Sadio Mane, Stuart Armstrong and Virgil van Dijk, with Normann feeling like a typical Saints’ signing.
Fulham were linked over the summer but, with Harrison Reid, Mario Lemina, Tom Cairney and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa all figthing for a place at Craven Cottage, it seems unlikely that Scott Parker’s side will make another move.
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