According to The Athletic journalist David Ornstein, Southampton have now reached an agreement to sign Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo.

The Lowdown: Saints in pole position

The 25-year-old first made the move to the Ibrox when he joined the Scottish side from Charlton in 2019, but with under 12 months remaining on his current contract, his future has been very much up in the air.

The Daily Mail reported earlier this week that the Saints had opened talks with the maestro over a potential move to St. Mary’s, but were set to face competition from the likes of Nottingham Forest and Fulham.

In a fresh update, however, it looks as though the south coast outfit have beaten their Premier League rivals to win the race for his signature.

The Latest: Southampton close in on Aribo

In a new Twitter post on Wednesday evening, Ornstein revealed that Southampton had come to an arrangement with Rangers over the transfer of Aribo, with a medical expected to take place in the coming days.

He wrote:

“EXCL: Southampton reach agreement with Rangers to sign Joe Aribo. £6m + add-ons + sell-on (could exceed £10m). Contract in place but not yet signed. If paperwork finalised versatile 25yo should undergo medical Fri/Sat.”

The Verdict: After Lavia

After confirming the signing of Romeo Lavia, Ralph Hassenhuttl will now be looking for further reinforcements ahead of the start of the new season, and Aribo would be a fantastic addition to the Southampton starting XI.

The Camberwell-born talent, who was once hailed for being on ‘another level’ by his former Charlton teammate and now Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa, is a versatile individual and can play in either central or attacking midfield roles, down the right and even up top.

Last season, he scored nine goals and provided ten assists for Rangers in all competitions, via Transfermarkt, showing he can be a threat no matter which position he plays in, and this profile of player is one that the Saints boss would love to have available to him.