Southampton: Aleksandar Mitrovic surprisingly linked with Saints
By Chris Hughes
In one of the more surprising rumours to have emerged as of late, Southampton have been credited with an apparent interest in Newcastle’s Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The Serbian forward has been somewhat of an outcast since Rafa Benitez took charge at the club, and this season has only featured on three occasions in all competitions.
As a result, the hot-headed striker has been linked with a move away, with Brighton and now Southampton reportedly vying for his signature.
The legitimacy of the rumour remains unclear, especially as the article lists the 23-year-old Mitrovic as being 30.
The Magpies spend a whopping £13 million on the unpredictable man back in 2015 and would therefore naturally be looking to recoup the majority of their investment, if not make a small profit, to adjust for the natural inflation of today’s transfer market.
Irregardless of the truth behind the rumour, there’s no denial that a striker like Mitrovic is what the Saints need to be looking at in January or next summer.
Since Graziano Pelle was sold last summer, Southampton have seriously lacked a big, physical striker that feed off scraps and long balls into the box. One answer that would be the Serbian.
Throughout his short career, he has registered a solid goal-to-game ratio, scoring 28 in 51 during his final season in Belgium with Anderlecht.
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However, the 23-year-old’s career so far has been plagued with controversies, receiving a three-match suspension as recently as August, for an elbow on West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini.
Signing Mitrovic, as hypothetical as it is, would be a incredibly risky move by Les Reed and it doesn’t seem like the kind of transfer that he would make.
What’s more, despite persistent rumours, it’s more likely that the Saints will look to sign fresh attacking talent down the wing or behind the striker, with Manolo Gabbiadini remaining isolated for much of the season.