One of the areas Ralph Hasenüttl seems rather desperate to bolster at St Mary’s this summer is the heart of his defence.
We know this because Southampton have been linked with a handful of centre-backs, with their name popping up alongside the likes of Axel Disasi and Mohammed Salisu over the past couple of months.
Before Wolverhampton Wanderers joined the fray for the Stade de Reims defender, the Saints appeared to be well positioned to get the promising 22-year-old, and yet nothing ever came of it.
They are still mentioned here and there as interested, but it’s never appeared as concrete over the past week or so, and La Provence appear to know why.
The local newspaper explain Marseille have now taken an interest in the player, for whom Reims want around €12-15m.
Rennes and Monaco are apparently still in the race, but La Provence explain ‘Southampton were very close to sealing the deal before changing their plans’.
It’s not explained who or what led to this decision, but perhaps they felt Salisu, with his €12m release clause, was the easier player to get.
Either way, it seems the Saints have moved on from Disasi for the time being.
