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Southampton: Croatian defender almost joined Saints in summer

By Marc Walker

BELGRADE, SERBIA - AUGUST 16: Karlo Bartolec of Nordsjaelland in action against during the UEFA Europa League Third Round Qualifier Second Leg match between Partizan and Nordsjaelland at stadium FK Partizan on August 16, 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)
BELGRADE, SERBIA - AUGUST 16: Karlo Bartolec of Nordsjaelland in action against during the UEFA Europa League Third Round Qualifier Second Leg match between Partizan and Nordsjaelland at stadium FK Partizan on August 16, 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images) /
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FC Nordsjaelland defender Karlo Bartolec claims he almost joined Southampton in the summer as a replacement for current Saints full-back Cedric Soares.

In an interview with Croatian news outlet 24sata, the 23-year-old said that Southampton were looking at him having been close to selling Cedric to Manchester United for a hefty fee.

Rumours of a move for the Portuguese international came up during the summer transfer window, but it would seem as though a potential deal couldn’t be agreed and United eventually brought in Porto’s Diego Dalot instead.

In the intriguing interview, Bartolec said:

"“I could have gone to Southampton this summer. I was hoping Portugal’s Soares would go to Manchester United, but that failed, so I missed my move to the Premiership. They were looking for 25m euros for him, and I could have been his replacement.”"

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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Cedric Soares of Southampton in action during the Premier League match between Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion at St Mary’s Stadium on September 17, 2018 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 17: Cedric Soares of Southampton in action during the Premier League match between Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion at St Mary’s Stadium on September 17, 2018 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /

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The Croatian is yet to make his senior international debut but is said to be on the radar of other clubs in Europe following his performances for Nordsjaelland.

He has made 71 appearances for the Danish outfit after starting his senior career in his homeland with NK Lokomotiva Zagreb.

Saints were said to be looking for a second-choice Right-Back during the summer after the departure of Jeremy Pied and were linked with a few names to fill this position.

Here though, it seems like Bartolec would have come in to replace Cedric, who has been mentioned as a target for other clubs since winning Euro 2016 with Portugal.

As a less well-known player up until now, the link between Bartolec and Saints would hint at the use of the scouting resources at the club.

The addition of Cedric himself back in 2015 proved to be a surprise move, but he has been a key player for the team after joining from Sporting Lisbon for around £6.3m.

Whether rumours of transfers for both players mentioned here resurface in January remains to be seen.

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