Southampton: Saints linked with audacious move for Dzeko
By Marc Walker
Southampton have been linked with an audacious swoop for Roma striker Edin Dzeko as they look to add more goals to their team.
According to the Mirror, fellow Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Cardiff have also joined Southampton in the pursuit for the 32-year-old who reportedly wants a move back to England.
If Saints were to to persuade Dzeko to swap the Italian capital for St Mary’s, it would certainly be seen as a huge coup.
He was most recently linked with a summer transfer to Chelsea after the appointment of Maurizio Sarri in the off-season.
The Bosnian has averaged better than a goal a game for Roma with 78 strikes in 148 matches. He has other sides to his game too and has laid on 30 assists for teammates too.
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His record has been superb wherever he has gone as well. His breakthrough came at Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, where he netted 85 times in 142 games and won the league title after forming a lethal strike partnership with Brazilian Grafite.
From there he moved to Manchester City for a reported fee of £33m, and although it took him a while to settle, he kept up his impressive average with 72 goals in 189 appearances.
Dzeko is the current captain of Bosnia-Herzegovina and has collected 96 international caps so far. 55 goals have come in those games and he bagged his 300th career strike in his country’s 2-0 win over Northern Ireland yesterday evening.
Overall, potentially adding someone with his quality to the Saints squad should not be turned down if an opportunity arises. Whilst Danny Ings has added a new dimension to Mark Hughes’ attack this season, Dzeko has proven himself on the world stage and would be a class above the current selection of forwards.
With Crystal Palace and Cardiff the two sides said to be interested too, Saints could be the frontrunners. However, Dzeko is still capable of playing at a very high level and other suitors could emerge if his signature is up for grabs.