Southampton: Saints keen on summer transfer move for Italian attacker
By Marc Walker
Southampton have reportedly joined several Premier League clubs in the race to sign Italian winger Vincenzo Grifo from Hoffenheim.
According to a report from TEAMtalk, the Saints are battling Everton, Bournemouth and Watford for the 25-year-old’s signature in the summer.
Grifo made his name in Germany after an impressive spell with Freiburg and is currently in his second spell with the club after joining on-loan in January.
However, he will return to Hoffenheim in the summer and may well be looking for other options after a fairly miserable spell there.
TEAMtalk mention that he is likely to be sold by his parent club ahead of next season and this has seemingly sparked interest from other areas of Europe.
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Whilst Grifo looks to have regained some of his form at Freiburg recently with three goals and four assists in nine Bundesliga games, it was his previous spell there that really caught the eye.
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He proved a major factor in getting the club promoted from 2.Bundesliga with 14 goals and 15 assists in 32 games back in 2015/16.
Transferring that form into the German top-flight was always going be challenging, but nine goals and 12 assists in 32 games in all competitions the following season showed that he could apply himself at a higher level too.
His impressive contribution in attack for Freiburg saw him earn a move to Borussia Monchengladbach for around £5.4m, but he was on his way back to Hoffenheim – where he had come through the academy system – just a year later.
Having been one of the brightest young players in the Bundesliga in the last few years, Grifo will have caught the eye of current Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl during his time in charge of Ingolstadt and RB Leipzig.
His current squad at St Mary’s will need to be improved should the club stay in the Premier League, and options from the wing could be brought in.
With Nathan Redmond, Mohamed Elyounoussi and Josh Sims as the only senior wingers currently at the club, the addition of Grifo could be a shrewd one.
Hasenhuttl’s preferred system of 4-2-2-2 could also be used further in the future and the Italian would suit an attacking-midfield role within that shape.