According to reports in The Mirror, Southampton are one of three Premier League clubs targeting a summer move for £13m-rated Montpellier winger Ryan Boudebouz.

Saints boss Claude Puel is looking to strengthen his attacking options following the conclusion of the campaign with his side scoring 39 goals in 36 Premier League matches prior to the visit of Manchester United on Wednesday night, with the likes of Shane Long and Jay Rodriguez failing to fire and Charlie Austin missing a large chunk of the season with a shoulder injury.

The club lost the influential Sadio Mane to Liverpool last summer and despite bringing in Nathan Redmond from Norwich City and Sofiane Boufal from Lille to try and deal with his departure, it hasn’t happened – especially for the latter who has struggled with injury during his debut year in England.

Following a string of fine impressive performances in Ligue 1 this term, Boudebouz looks to have the ability to make an impact in the Premier League.

Here are three reasons the Algeria international could finally be Saints’ Mane replacement…

Goalscoring

Football Soccer - Southampton v Liverpool - Barclays Premier League - St Mary's Stadium - 20/3/16
Southampton's Saido Mane scores their first goal
Action Images via Reuters / Tony O'Brien
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Mane moved to St Mary’s in the summer of 2014 on the back of an outstanding season with Red Bull Salzburg.

The Senegal forward scored 23 goals - with 13 of those coming in the league – in 50 matches in all competitions and while Boudebouz doesn’t boast stats quite that good, he has enjoyed an impressive season in front of goal.

The Algerian has scored 11 goals in 32 outings despite often playing out wide or in an attacking midfield position, and that is certainly an impressive total.

Assisting

When Southampton signed Mane, it wasn’t just because of his goalscoring exploits.

The forward also provided 18 assists – 13 in the Austrian Bundesliga – in all competitions for Red Bull Salzburg to show that he had the creativity to set up his teammates too.

Boudebouz has certainly shown a similar ability this term too having picked up nine assists in 32 Ligue 1 outings – adding to the 12 he managed for the French outfit last season – while he has also made more than 100 key passes.

Style of play

On a number of occasions this season Southampton have been missing that player that links the strikers with the midfielders and a forward that is willing to run at defences, something that Mane did time and time again even when his side wasn’t at their best.

This is where Boudebouz could answer their problem as the Algerian is relatively quick, loves to dribble and has completed 76 take-ons this term, while he is also excellent at linking up with his teammates.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.