Southampton had ‘important’ bid for Serie A star rejected in January

Southampton had a €13m bid rejected by Serie A club Lecce for midfielder Morten Hjumland in January, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Saints strengthened their midfield with the addition of Carlos Alcaraz in the winter transfer window. They forked out a sum of over €13 million to acquire his services from Argentinian outfit Racing Club de Avellaneda.

However, Alcaraz was not the only midfielder Southampton were interested in signing in January. There were claims that the club have held talks with Lecce over a deal for Hjumland.

Apart from the St. Mary’s outfit, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest have also been credited with an interest in taking him to England. Lecce president Sticchi Damiani recently revealed that the Serie A club turned down an ‘important’ bid from a Premier League club in January.

"“We have turned down an important bid for Morten Hjulmand in January — it was around €13m,” Damiani said."

Reliable journalist Romano has now confirmed that the offer came from Southampton. He also disclosed that the proposal was at least €7 million short of Lecce’s valuation.

"“The proposal was from Southampton but Lecce wanted at least €20m to let him leave, no way for €13m,” Romano wrote on Twitter."

Could Southampton revive their interest in Morten Hjumland?

It is worth noting that Nathan Jones was in charge of the Saints when the club made an offer for Morten Hjumland. The Welshman has since been sacked as the team’s manager.

It thus remains to be seen if the Hampshire-based club intend to revive their interest in the defensive-minded midfielder in the summer. The player will notably enter the final year of his contract with Lecce by then.

Hjumland joined the Serie A club from Austrian side Admira Wacker in January 2021. He has since made 81 appearances across all competitions, providing nine assists in the process.

The Dane has also captained Lecce in the Italian top-flight this season.