Southampton and West Bromwich Albion are reportedly interested in signing Hoffenheim centre back Fabian Schar.
According to The Mirror, Southampton and West Bromwich Albion are interested in signing Hoffenheim defender Fabian Schar.
Schar, 25, has long been tipped to make the move to the Premier League, having starred with Basel in his native Switzerland between 2012 and 2015.
England’s Wayne Rooney in action with Switzerland’s Fabian Schar
Despite major speculation surrounding a move to England, Schar chose to move to Germany with Hoffenheim in the summer of 2015, with his move costing just £5million according to ESPN.
Since then, Schar has become an important part of the Hoffenheim squad, playing 24 times last season, though first-team football has been a little harder to come by under Julian Nagelsmann this season.
Fabian Schar in action for Switzerland
Nagelsmann has preferred to go with a three-man back line of Benjamin Hubner, Kevin Vogt and Niklas Sule, leaving Schar on the fringes of the side with just four Bundesliga appearaces to his name this season.
Now, The Mirror claim that both Southampton and West Bromwich Albion are interested in signing Schar in January, with the seven-goal Switzerland international potentially available.
Southampton are allegedly making contingency plans in case either Virgil van Dijk or Jose Fonte leave the club next month, and Schar is one player that the Saints are interested in as a potential replacement for either player.
Meanwhile, West Brom could be in the market for another centre back given that Gareth McAuley and Jonas Olsson are not only 37 and 33 respectively, but are also out of contract at the end of the season – and Schar represents a long-term successor for both, and could be viewed as the ideal partner for Jonny Evans in the heart of the Baggies defence.
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