Southampton have entered talks to sign Mohammed Salisu after the Real Valladolid stopper rejected the chance to join Ligue 1 outfit Rennes, according to Ouest France.
This would be a signing which has been months in the planning.
The Saints are lumbered with the third-worst defensive record in the Premier League at present (a statistic admittedly skewed by that 9-0 thrashing against Leicester).
And Sky Sports reported as far back as January 2 that Salisu had been identified as the man to shore up Ralph Hasenhuttl’s leaky backline.
Almost six months on, one of the rising stars of Spanish football is now edging ever closet to a move to England’s south coast.
It is common knowledge that Salisu has a £10 million release clause in his contract, making him a real bargain of a signing in an era where top-class defenders do not often move on the cheap.
And, in what looks like a major boost to Southampton’s transfer hopes, Ouest France claims that the Ghanaian powerhouse has now entered talks over a move to St Mary’s.
Salisu, a defender blessed with great pace and impressive positional sense, has made it clear that he would prefer a move to the Premier League this summer, cutting short negotiations with a Rennes side who have also missed out on PSG wonderkid Tanguy Kouassi in the last few days.
Southampton cannot rest easy just yet however.
Wolves, Newcastle, Manchester United, Watford and more have all been linked with Salisu since the start of May and his desire to play Premier League football is not going to go unnoticed for long.
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