SHARE

Putting a brave and sturdy performance against Manchester United on Saturday, Southampton showed they could be a tough nut to crack for a lot of teams this season.

They easily could have walked away from that game at St Mary’s with a point, and probably should have, but Ralph Hasenhüttl, expecting to see Jan Bednarek leave for Aston Villa before the end of the transfer window, wants another centre-back.

That’s where Duje Caleta-Car, currently pushed to one side at Marseille, comes in, according to L’Equipe.

The Croatia international didn’t feature for the French side over the weekend as they beat OGC Nice 3-0, and it’s claimed the ‘suitor of the moment’ these days ‘is named Southampton’.

This comes courtesy of Stellar, his agency, who are ‘trying to place him’ in the Saints, knowing full well the club will need someone to make up for Bednarek’s exit to Aston Villa.

Caleta-Car is ‘among the tracks being looked at to replace him’, but they point out that ‘there is a need to be cautious and not underestimate’ the player, who has so far stood firm and resisted ‘every exfiltration attempt’ put forward by Marseille to date.

This means Southampton will have to be convincing, and perhaps try and guarantee him a starting space, as he would be giving up potential Champions League football in the south of France.

Something to keep in mind as we enter the final days of a very busy summer transfer window.