Southampton centre-back target revealed as club look for 7th signing

Southampton reportedly want to sign Torino centre-back Lyanco in a €7m deal to wrap up their summer transfer action.

That is according to football reporter Gianluca Di Marzio and Hampshire Live’s Tom Leach, who suggest that Saints have moved ahead of Premier League rivals Watford in the race to sign the 24-year-old.

Brazil Under-23 international Lyanco has built a reputation for himself four years at Torino and has 53 appearances in Serie A after a previous loan spell with Bologna. It appears that he is the main defensive target now despite links to Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo amongst others.

Online footage shows him as a decisive defender who is very capable with the ball at his feet. He looks a good fit for a centre-back role in the Saints team with an ability to play out from defence in a composed way – something that Jannik Vestergaard was renowned for last season.

Will this be Southampton’s last action of the summer window?

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• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
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• A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse

This is seemingly the last obvious transfer movement that Saints need to make to give their squad the all-round depth it needs in each position.

Jannik Vestergaard’s departure will be covered if Lyanco is sold and Ralph Hasenhuttl will have him, Jack Stephens, Mohammed Salisu and Jan Bednarek as his four central-defensive options. It remains to be seen whether that will be all the club’s business done or if a late surprise move might materialise.

Late deadline day moves have come about in recent years with Saints deals for the likes of Danny Ings, Takumi Minamino and Kevin Danso, so maybe a bonus player may become available to the club in the last days of the window.

If Lyanco is to the be the final piece of this season’s jigsaw, summer deals can be regarded as promising by Saints even with the departures of some key and experienced players. The commitment of James Ward-Prowse yesterday will have given the club a further boost for the years ahead.

It is now up to the team to combine throughout this season and Ralph Hasenhuttl and his staff to create a team capable of having a successful season.