Southampton keeping an eye on Bundesliga starlet, January move possible

Southampton FC are reportedly keeping an eye on Mainz midfielder Yunus Malli.

According to an exclusive on TuttoMercatoWeb, the Saints have a strong interest in the 24-year-old and have targeted him as a possible signing for the January window.

They won’t be the only ones after him, however, as a host of unnamed Italian sides are also keeping track of the player, who will be facing Anderlecht in the Europa League this week.

The player had a very good season in 2015/16, with 11 goals and five assists, attracting the attention clubs from abroad in the process.

During the summer, Malli was linked sporadically with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, and the Turkey international was interviewed by Bild at the time, saying: ”I can’t, won’t rule anything out. What’s the point of saying ‘I play for Mainz this season’ and things look different in two weeks?”

“Right now, my focus is to get fit. If nothing changes, that’s fine. I’m comfortable here & Mainz are in the Europa League this season.”

But the transfer obviously didn’t happen.

The attacking midfielder has also had a pretty decent start to season this year, with five goals and three assists in only ten matches, helping Mainz sit in a respectable seventh position after just seven games.