Southampton might lock horns with Leicester for £16m midfielder

According to reports in Germany, Southampton and Leicester City are both linked to the signing of an 18-year-old midfielder, valued at around £16m by his club.

Southampton and Leicester City were both promoted from the Championship to the Premier League last season. Both clubs have similar ambitions of surviving the drop-off this season, then building for the future.

Therefore, it is no surprise to see both promoted sides willing to invest in their squads. After all, while both sides have glimpses of Premier League quality, it is hard to ignore the Championship shackles from last season.

With that being said, the transfer window presents a golden opportunity for both sides to build on a more promising future.

Southampton might lock horns with Leicester for £16m midfielder

According to reports from Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, who specialises in German football, Ibrahim Maza is attracting a lot of interest from the Premier League.

Southampton and Wolves are believed to regularly scout him. Other interested clubs are Brentford, Fulham, Leicester, Newcastle, and West Ham.

Plettenberg has suggested that if Hertha, Maza's current club, do not achieve promotion back to the Bundesliga next season, then a transfer is likely for Maza. Without a doubt, the young creative midfielder is key to their promotion bid this season.

As it stands, Hertha are 11th in 2. Bundesliga. Considering the size of the club, this is not good-going by any stretch of the imagination. This why clubs are lining up to sign their brightest talent.

If Hertha are to consider a sale in the summer transfer window, they would likely allow Maza to leave for around €10-20m. This means that the Saints could pay up to £16.7m, given the current conversion rates. This is not outside of Southampton's operating budget, or at least it seems that way.

As pointed out by Football Fancast, Ibrahim Maza has the same agent as Southampton star Adam Armstrong. Both players are represented by CAA Stellar.

While this isn't in the original report, it could serve as an indication that Southampton have an edge here. After all, the Saints could be smart and use this connection to convince Maza.

Southampton have a great crop of young players coming through the ranks, as it stands. Russell Martin will hope to add more to the squad going forward, depending on whether or not he is at the helm for the long-term.

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