Roma may be willing to sell Rick Karsdorp for a vastly reduced fee of £5 million, with Southampton keen to sign the Holland international according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Saints certainly have a bit of a mixed track record when it comes to signing Dutchmen, for every Virgil van Dijk there is a Wesley Hoedt and a Jordy Clasie after all – and, in the case of Karsdorp, things could go either way.
Just three years ago, the former Feyenoord youngster was one of the most highly-rated young full-backs in Europe, swapping Rotterdam for Roma in a £14 million deal.
But after his time at the Stadio Olimpico was wrecked by a series of injuries, including a cruciate ligament rupture which kept him out for seven months, Karsdorp’s price-tag has plummeted as quickly as his reputation.
Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Roma will listen to offers of just £5 million, hoping to get him and his £35,000-a-week salary off their wage bill.
Voetbal International reported last week that Southampton were hoping to sign a second right-back this summer, with Karsdorp lined up to compete with Kyle Walker-Peters for a place in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s starting XI.
If the 25-year-old can stay fit, his all-action style makes him pretty much tailor-made for the ‘Alpine Klopp’s’ Bundesliga-inspired, counter-attacking approach.
But that’s an ‘if’ the size of the Solent.
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