Southampton want Vitinha from Braga after joining Premier League rivals West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur in pursuit of the striker, as reported by Record.
The last time the Saints finished in the top half of the table, Charlie Austin, Virgil van Dijk and Manolo Gabbiadini were still wearing red and white stripes. That, for the record, was five years ago.
And with Southampton limping towards another disappointing, bottom-half placement, it seems that a sea change is in the offing at St Mary’s. No longer will mediocrity be accepted on the South Coast.
“I think we have a relatively clear view about what we want to do in the summer transfer window and what we want to do next season,” head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl tells the Daily Echo during his Thursday press conference.
“We have to look for next season and who we trust to make the next step. Because this is what we want to do next season.”
The ‘next step’. From middling mid-table to, well, where Southampton used to be, in the good old days of Mauricio Pochettino, Ronaldo Koeman and, to a lesser extent, Claude Puel. Some welcome investment on behalf of Serbian billionaire Dragan Solak will certainly help.
Solak has already admitted, in conversation with The Guardian, that he will provide the financial backing to help Southampton reach – to borrow Hasenhuttl’s expression – the ‘next step’.
Southampton want Vitinha
Spending big on a new centre-forward would certainly be a statement of intent. A much-needed one at that.
Vitinha, a Portugal U21 international, with 13 goals to his name this season and a 21-minute hat-trick against Arouca, is one such target with Record claiming that Southampton may have to trigger the £25 million release clause in his contract.
Such a fee would make Vitinha, a target for West Ham and Tottenham too, the most expensive signing in Southampton’s history. Record add that Braga are unlikely to sell him for less than that £25 million fee.
“He’s very good at attacking space. Technically he’s good, not excellent, but good,” Braga’s Burnley-linked manager Carlos Carvalhal tells MaisFutebol.
“He finishes spectacularly with his right foot, he’s strong with his left foot, he’s got a lot of ability with his head. If he continues to evolve like this, he can aspire to reach the national team.”
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Southampton have never really replaced former talisman Danny Ings. And, to make matters worse, Armando Broja will return to Chelsea upon the expiry of his loan deal.
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