Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car against Kylian Mbappe
Southampton have reportedly placed Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car ‘on the shortlist’ of transfer options, according to reputable journalist Sacha Tavolieri.
The lowdown: Previous English interest
Signed from Austrian Bundesliga outfit Red Bull Salzburg for £17.1m in 2018, Caleta-Car has been nothing short of a revelation in France.
The 25-year-old Croatia international has amassed 130 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit and had previously attracted interest from both Liverpool and Newcastle United, coming very close to joining the former in January 2021.
However, those moves failed to materialise, and it now appears as though the Saints could be about to make their intentions known for Caleta-Car as Jan Bednarek reportedly nears the exit door at St Mary’s…
The latest: ‘On the shortlist’
Taking to Twitter, Tavolieri has claimed that the 23-cap Croatia defender is on the radar at Southampton.
The RMC Sport reporter stated: “Info #OM : #SouthamptonFC thinks of Duje #CaletaCar to replace the probable departure of Jan #Bednarek ! The defender is on the shortlist of #saintsfc who is already discussing with his representatives. To be continued.”
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The verdict: Smart move
Valued at £14.4m and into the final 12 months of his contract in France (Transfermarkt), any last-minute deal for the Croatian should be a wholly affordable one for Southampton. It would also be a significant statement of intent in order to replace Bednarek, who is on the verge of agreeing a deal to join Aston Villa.
Caleta-Car – who was labelled as an ‘excellent player’ by talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook – scored twice and provided one assist in 38 appearances across all competitions last season, earning a 6.96 SofaScore rating whilst winning 2.4 duels and making 2.1 clearances per game and completing 92% of his passes.
Sharing similar stylistic traits to Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias and Pau Torres (FBref), this is a prospective signing which should certainly stand Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad in impressive stead for the 2022/23 campaign and could help to firm up a previously leaky defence.
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