Southampton and Norwich have been handed a transfer boost with Giorgos Giakoumakis laying out his requirements for leaving Dutch side VVV-Venlo, speaking to De Gelderlander.
In Ralph Hasenhuttl and Daniel Farke, the Saints and Canaries both have a coach famed for dedication to thrusting, forward-thinking football.
Only Brentford scored more goals than Championship champions Norwich last season, with star striker Teemu Pukki scoring 67 times during three seasons in East Anglia.
Southampton, meanwhile, are one of the most exciting teams in the Premier League when on form, even if those demonstrative displays were seldom seen during a miserable run of form in the second half of 2020/21.
So you’d think Giakoumakis – the Eredivisie’s current Golden Boot holder – would be open to joining a progressive, ambitious side such as Norwich or Southampton if one of them firmed up their interest during the next seven weeks (TEAMtalk).
Southampton eye Giakoumakis
“There will be news soon,” said the elegant frontman, whose career-best tally of 26 goals last season was comfortably more than the numbers produced by Dusan Tadic, Donyell Malen and Myron Boadu.
“It’s not about the country or the club. It is especially important that the playing style suits me – offensive.”
Remarkably enough, VVV were relegated despite boasting the most prolific striker in the country.
As a result, the £5 million-rated Giakoumakis is expected to depart sooner rather than later, even if offers have been surprisingly lacking for the late-blooming Greece international.
Southampton are expected to intensify their search for a new number nine after Danny Ings rejected a contract extension on Monday, with the Saints launching a bid for Blackburn Rovers’ Adam Armstrong in midweek.
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