Ralph Hasenhuttl wants young, hungry players at The Saints and the Premier League outfit are keen to sign Eskilstuna’s Kosovan youngster Lushaku.
Southampton are going head-to-head with La Liga outfit Villarreal in an attempt to sign Kosovan midfielder Ismet Lushaku in January, according to Ekuriren.
The youngster is making a name for himself in the Swedish top flight with FC Eskilstuna, starting 12 games so far this season for a side struggling down the wrong end of the Allsvenskan table.
Lushaku’s fine performances were recently rewarded with a debut for the Kosovan U21 side with full international honours not too far away.
And reports from Scandinavia claim that Southampton are interested in bringing Lushaku to the Premier League, though he also has admirers in Spain in the shape of Villarreal.
“Yes it is true. There is interest in him and several major clubs in Europe are watching him,” Eskilstuna chairman Alex Ryssholm admitted, while stopping short of confirming whether or not Southampton are among the interested suitors.
Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl told the ITV in the summer after signing Moussa Djenepo from Belgian football that he is fully focused on bringing young, hungry, rising talents to St Mary’s with the likes of Che Adams and Kevin Danso also fitting the bill.
Lushaku would fit right into Hasenhuttl’s plans too, though forcing his way into a midfield already containing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu would be a challenge.
Then again, as Yann Valery, Timo Werner and co will tell you, Hasenhuttl is a coach who loves to put his trust in youth.
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