Southampton are reportedly ready to battle Stoke City and Tottenham for Malaga forward Sandro Ramirez.
According to The Sun, Stoke City and Southampton have joined the race to sign Malaga forward Sandro Ramirez, just weeks after The Mirror claimed that Tottenham are prepared to move for him.
Ramirez, 21, came up through the ranks at Barcelona having joined them from hometown club Las Palmas in 2009 at the age of just 14.
General view inside the stadium before the match – St Mary’s Southampton
Whilst he impressed with the Barcelona B team, scoring 15 goals in 61 games, Ramirez couldn’t break into the first team at the Camp Nou on a regular basis, which is no great surprise given that he was up against Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
After seven goals in 32 games for Barcelona, Ramirez moved on to La Liga rivals Malga over the summer – and he has thrived with the Andalusian side, smashing six goals and one assist in just 13 appearances.
Malaga forward Sandro shoots
His impressive displays for Malaga appear to be triggering interest, as The Mirror reported last month that Tottenham Hotspur are interested in bringing the forward to the Premier League having missed out on him in the last two transfer window.
Now, The Sun claim that Southampton and Stoke City are also hoping to sign Ramirez, who can play up front or out wide, though has spent most of his time at Malaga playing as a central striker.
Sandro Ramirez at Barcelona
Southampton have seen one former Barcelona youngster thrive on the South Coast in Oriol Romeu, but their last purchase from Malaga – playmaker Juanmi – was a complete disaster, and he left the club after just one year at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Ramirez does fit the bill as a wide forward in Claude Puel’s system though, and the Frenchman will be hoping to fend off the competition to land the attacker in January or next summer.
Stoke’s contingent of ex-Barcelona players such as Marc Muniesa, Ibrahim Afellay, Bojan and Moha El Ouriachi could be appealing to Ramirez, whilst Tottenham can offer a top four challenge, meaning the young Spaniard could be spoilt for choice should all three clubs move for him in 2017.
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