This summer is really shaping up to be an exciting one for Southampton supporters.

The Saints have already landed a brand new attacker in Moussa Djenepo and could look to follow up his arrival with Che Adams (as per The Sun).

But as well as that, a deal to bring Lille midfielder Thiago Mendes to St. Mary's could also be in the pipeline, that is according to La Voix Du Nord (via Read Southampton), who also report the south coast club face competition from Lyon.

As things stand, Ralph Hasenhuttl is hardly lacking options in the middle of the park. In Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mario Lemina to name a couple of midfielders, the Austrian has some very decent options.

With 1.8 key passes per game in Ligue 1 last season, though, Mendes could definitely bring some more creativity to Southampton's midfield. Bar James Ward-Prowse (also 1.8), no other Southampton player averaged the same or more (as per WhoScored).

As well as that, the Brazilian also looks capable of bringing more ball dominance to the St. Mary's pitch. Out of Southampton's current crop of midfielders, his 84.8% pass success rate was only bettered by Lemina (86%).

Considering he plays 3.1 long balls per game, which is only behind Hojbjerg's 3.5 when looking at the Saints' midfield men again, that is quite impressive.

If Hasenhuttl is looking to add a bit more creativity and ball retention to his midfield, then he may have just found the answer.

Southampton fans, would you like to see Mendes deployed in midfield next season? Let us know in the comment section below!