Southampton showing interest in Championship hotshot Brereton Diaz

Southampton are one of the clubs looking to take advantage of a contract situation between Championship side Blackburn Rovers and hotshot striker Ben Brereton Diaz.

According to a report from Football League World, Saints are one of a host of Premier League clubs tracking the 22-year-old and have joined Leeds, Burnley, Newcastle and Brighton in the race for his signature.

Brereton Diaz has had a superb campaign to date. Despite the 2021/22 season not reaching its midway point, he has plundered 16 league goals to fire Blackburn to one point off the play-off positions.

He will also have a good connection with Southampton striker Adam Armstrong having played for  a significant period of time alongside his former teammates at Ewood Park.

Southampton preparing for next summer with Brereton interest?

As with many other clubs, the Southampton squad is constantly evolving and in need of regular additions to ensure that outgoing players are replaced.

This could well be the case next summer if Saints consolidate their place as a steady top-flight club. One player who will need to be replaced in particular is Armando Broja, who will return to Chelsea after spending 2021/22 on loan at St Mary’s.

The 20-year-old has made a good impression on the south coast and could prove to be a very useful goalscoring threat between now and May, meaning that his presence in attack will need to be replicated in future years once he has returned to his parent club.

On paper, Ben Brereton Diaz is a similar sort of player. Good ability in the air and a decent turn of pace help him to make full use of his finishing ability in many game situations that he finds himself in.

He also has perhaps one of the most unique international stories in world football. Having been born to a Chilean mother, he made his debut for Chile back in June – reportedly after a campaign from fans of the computer game Football Manager.