Manchester City to use Aaron Mooy in Virgil van Dijk deal with Southampton
By Chris Hughes
With both clubs reportedly having mutual interest in each other’s talent, a deal could now be struck for both respective parties to swap teams.
After laying dormant for most of the last few weeks, Manchester City have emerged as serious front-runners in the chase for Virgil van Dijk, with Chelsea and Liverpool seemingly in a two-horse race beforehand.
At the same time various media outlets over the past week have linked Southampton with a move for Aaron Mooy, and the Saints could now step ahead of fellow challengers Brighton, Huddersfield and West Brom for his signature.
This is because rumours have suggested that Mooy could be used as weight to persuade the Saints to part with their Dutch defender, who has strongly been linked with a move to one of England’s top teams this summer.
The Aussie midfielder is capable of playing either more defensively or as far as up in the ten spot, with creativity being something the Southampton squad lacked last season. Dusan Tadic has struggled to re-find the form he showed under Ronald Koeman and Mooy could be seen as either a replacement for him or for the outgoing Jordy Clasie.
The Man City man was signed from their sister-club Melbourne City, but was almost instantly loaned out the Terriers on a season-long loan deal. The Australian international helped the side reach the Premier League for the first time, registering seven assists and four goals in 45 appearances.
Southampton have been linked with a similar transfer before involving their team captain, when Chelsea were credited with offering a deal involving £40/50 million plus Kurt Zouma or Andreas Christensen.
A similar fee would have to be on offer for the Mooy deal to take place, with the playmaker valued at around £10 million in the current market. However his creative, all-rounded ability could be greatly beneficial to the Saints going into next season, with Southampton needed a better performance next time around.