Southampton: Saints showing serious interest in Middlesbrough man

Southampton are showing serious interest in Middlesbrough midfielder Lewis Wing, according to reports.

The Northern Echo states that Saints are one of a number of Premier League clubs tracking the 24-year-old and could make an attempt to bring him to St Mary’s in the summer transfer window.

Wing has been an important attacking presence for Boro this season and a flurry of goals more recently has taken his tally up to six despite playing from midfield.

He started his career in non-league with Shildon AFC, who play in the Northern League Division One currently.

However, his potential was spotted by Middlesbrough and they brought him in on a free transfer in 2017.

The beginning of last season also saw him take a five-month loan spell with Yeovil Town, where he began the progression that has taken him into the Boro first-team this year.

In all, he has 11 goals in 67 appearances since signing at the Riverside and it will be interesting to see whether Saints make him a priority in the summer.

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One area where Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad needs strengthening is the midfield, with just three senior players forming the options in the centre currently.

James Ward-Prowse, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oriol Romeu all provide different traits that fit well into the squad, but a player with a more attacking mindset may be useful to add.

Under Hasenhuttl, recruiting and promoting youth seems to be the plan and has certainly been successful for Saints in the past.

Given that Wing is yet to reach the prime of his career, he could be an attractive option if he is predicted to improve further in the future.

The summer will be an important time for Saints and they will be wanting to push on under the excellent manager they have in place.

Before the end of the season, they will be looking to have Hasenhuttl tied to another contract and other key players committed to the club too.