Southampton: Mario Lemina linked with Liverpool move
By Chris Hughes
Just when Southampton thought that the Reds had run out of players to raid, they have been linked with the Saints’ star midfielder Mario Lemina.
According to reports in French tabloid L’Equipe and cited by many English outlets, Liverpool are weighing up the option of inquiring about Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have regularly recruited the Saints’ best talents since they returned to the Premier League, so much so that the German joked about setting up a scout base on the south coast.
Liverpool’s most recent acquisition from Southampton was Virgil van Dijk as recently as after Christmas, with the Reds splashing out a huge £75 million on the Dutch international.
But now, it seems like their attention has apparently turned to Gabonese international Mario Lemina. The midfielder has been arguably the Saints’ Player of the Season and has put in some sensational performances since his move from Juventus – which stood as the club’s record signing until Guido Carrillo arrived in January.
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However whether there is any truth behind the rumour is yet to be seen – however it doesn’t seem likely. The Reds already have a plethora of midfield talent on their books, and even if Emre Can moves on they have Naby Keita arriving for a big £48 million fee this summer.
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Add that to the likes of Gini Wijnaldum, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson and James Milner among others, and a move for Lemina seems unlikely.
However it will certainly annoy the Southampton fanbase with rumours connecting their star players to Merseyside seemingly never going away. At the end of the day the Saints aren’t fighting for Europe anymore but Premier League survival instead.
In addition to linking the 24-year-old to the Reds,the report also suggests that Arsenal have pulled out of the race for the former-Juve man.
The Gunners are in desperate need of a physical, box-to-box midfielder who can take a game by the scruff of it’s neck but it seems they either aren’t keen or have been priced out of a deal. Considering his move cost £18 million last summer and he’s under contract until 2022, Lemina would cost a pretty penny in today’s market if he was to move after just 12 months on the south coast.