Southampton are eyeing a move for FC Porto midfielder Giannelli Imbula as a replacement for Victor Wanyama, according to Portuguese sports daily A Bola.
The former Celtic midfielder was keen to leave the south coast club in the summer, but Southampton dug in their heels and managed to keep the midfielder at St. Mary’s for this season.
However, Southampton are making contingency plans should Wanyama develop itchy feet again in the near future and are eyeing replacements should the midfielder decide to leave the club.
And according to Portuguese sports daily A Bola, the north London side have identified Porto midfielder Imbula as a replacement for the Kenya international.
A Southampton scout watched the midfielder in action in Porto’s 2-0 defeat to Dynamo Kyiv at the Dragao on Tuesday night and the club are expected to ramp up their scouting around Imbula in the next few months.
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Porto paid a hefty fee of around €20m in the summer to secure the signature of Imbula from Marseille and are unlikely to allow him to leave the club any time soon.
The Premier League outfit might have to shell out a big fee for the midfielder if they have to convince Porto to let the player leave in the near future.
