Southampton close to £7.5m deal for World Cup star Orsic as they launch triple raid to help Premier League survival bid
SOUTHAMPTON are close to agreeing a £7.5million deal for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Mislav Orsic.
Saints have also opened talks over a deal for Lorient striker Terem Moffi and are plotting a £12m move for Racing Club midfielder Carlos Alcaraz.
Southampton are rock bottom of the Premier League with just one win in their last 12 Premier League games and are in need of new arrivals to boost their survival bid.
Orisc, 30, has eight goals and seven assists in the Croatian top flight this season and will be known to English fans for impressive performances against Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal.
The attacking midfielder bagged a hat-trick against Spurs to dump them out of the Europa League in 2020.
He also scored at West Ham in Europe last season and netted the winner against the Blues in their Champions League opener – a goal which got Thomas Tuchel the sack.
New boss Nathan Jones is also in desperate need of a striker and also wants to bolster his midfield.
While Southampton are just two points from safety, they have been desperately short of goals so far and have lost all three Prem games since Jones replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl in December.
Only Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have scored more goals than Moffi’s ten in Ligue 1 so far this season.
The Nigeria international, 23, is one of a number of strikers the Saints are considering this month, with Udinese striker Beto also on their list.
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Jones is also keen on Argentinian Alcaraz, who has been linked with both Inter Milan and Benfica.
The Portuguese side have considered the 20-year-old as a replacement for World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez, who is set to join Chelsea this month.
Given the clubs who have been keeping tabs on Alcaraz, nicknamed Charly, it would prove quite the coup for Southampton to nab the youngster, who has 12 goals and six assists in 83 appearances for Racing.
Former Luton manager Jones also wants additions in defence with recalls for both Jack Stephens, who is on loan at Bournemouth, and Jan Bednarek, who joined Aston Villa in the summer, being considered.