Portuguese newspaper A Bola has reported Southampton sent a scout to watch Rio Ave and Moreirense at the weekend. The Premier League side also sent an official to Portugal the previous week to watch the two clubs.
In the past few seasons Southampton have made regular trips to Portugal, and they’ve also been seen at Benfica games this campaign.
A Bola have confirmed Southampton were on the scouting list for Rio Ave’s clash with Sporting Lisbon on Friday night. Reported Everton target Bas Dost scored the winner in Sporting Lisbon’s 1-0 win, but they had Rui Patrício to thank for preserving their lead with two good saves.
Southampton then followed this up by watching Moreirense’s 3-0 defeat to Belenenses on Saturday night. The game was pretty even with regards to the statistics, but Belenenses managed to take their chances, with Bouba, Hassan Yebda and Roni getting the goals.
Targets
There have been no reports who Southampton were watching on Friday and Saturday night, but given they’ve conducted two similar scouting trips in the past two weeks it seems they could be casting an eye on players from Rio Ave and Moreirense.
Fellow Premier League sides Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal were also present at the Rio Ave game.
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