Southampton have entered the race to sign Florentino Luis from ‘under the noses’ of Fulham and AC Milan, according to The Sun.
The Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is said to be concerned by his side’s ‘lack of authority’ in central midfield.
And it’s claimed that may ‘force his hand to make a firm bid’ for Florentino, the 21-year-old Benfica player.
Hasenhuttl’s Fulham counterpart, Scott Parker, has sent scouts to watch Florentino in action, while AC Milan have made their interest known, according to The Sun.
And the trio could be in luck, with Record reporting last week that Benfica are being forced to make two ‘big sales’ as a direct result of their failure to qualify for this year’s Champions League group stage.
It had been suggested by Tuttomercatoweb – which claimed that Leeds United had held talks about signing the player – that it would cost between €20-30million (£18.3-27.5m) to prise Florentino from Benfica, although his contract contains a buyout clause of €120m (around £110m).
And, having broken even in the summer transfer window, thanks to the sales of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur) and Harrison Reed (Fulham), Southampton may have the means to splash out.
Southampton, Fulham or neither – where do you think Florentino should go?
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