Southampton's interest in Will Lankshear is well known at this point.
Indeed, it has been revealed that the Saints have had an approach turned down for the Tottenham Hotspur youngster this summer, with EFL-oriented journalist Darren Witcoop reiterating on social media recently that Tonda Eckert's men remain keen on the one-time Oxford United loanee.
It looks as if it will be a tough battle to win the 21-year-old's services, which means the South Coast giants will surely be looking at alternative targets now, to fill the gaping hole left by Ross Stewart exiting the building.
Who could Southampton go after?
Several names have been put forward in Southampton's ongoing hunt for some fresh blood up top, with one of my previous articles even suggesting that a free transfer swoop for Josh Maja would be a shrewd deal to chase after.
Ivan Azon, who was on loan at Ipswich Town last season, has clearly caught their eye, away from my guesswork, alongside the Spurs starlet, with a £9m move allegedly in the works.
It will be intriguing to see if they do win his signature, with £9m sticking out as a rather excessive price tag, considering the Spaniard only scored five times in the Championship for the Tractor Boys.
There will be other targets on their loaded shopping list, you imagine, so they don't place all their eggs into the Azon basket, with Saints-based writer Christian Lovegrove throwing his hat into the ring, too, to claim that Noel Futkeu should be on the Southampton agenda this summer, having powered home 19 goals last season in Bundesliga 2 for Greuther Furth.
Eckert and Co. do love shopping in the German market, so this is a suggestion that has legs, but there is another name up for discussion by Lovegrove that stands out even more.
The surprise target who has been suggested
That name is Gabriele Artistico, who - like Futkeu - played in a European second division last campaign with Spezia.
On loan to Serie B from Lazio, the forceful 6-foot-1 marksman would find the back of the net a red-hot 14 times from 33 games.
His ability to be both lethal in front of goal, and also dominant in the air with 4.7 total duels won, makes him stand out as a perfect wildcard replacement for Stewart, with Lovegrove's suggestion a diamond in the rough.
With 69 career goals next to his name from 201 total appearances, it's clear that he is a goalscoring threat wherever he has been in Italy, with a hope he can spark immediately into life on the South Coast, if the powers that be at St. Mary's are prepared to gamble on the Italian import.
After all, the second tier promotion hopefuls have struck gold in the past with Italian attackers, namely Graziano Pelle, with the now retired 41-year-old also having a modest start to his well-travelled career in Serie B, before becoming a household name for the Saints.
Southampton fans will be apprehensive, as Lankshear has plenty of Championship experience next to his name, compared to the relatively unknown Lazio striker.
But, with Spurs not budging when it comes to their hot commodity, the South Coast giants might have to go down different avenues, with Lovegrove's outside of the box pick a quirky suggestion that could come good if a shock move materialised.
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