According to reports in the Daily Mail, Everton are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Lille defender Adama Soumaoro during the January transfer window.

The Daily Mail says that new Toffees manager Sam Allardyce is determined to strengthen his backline in the New Year, and he is considering making a move for the 25-year-old.

The report adds that the Ligue 1 club are in financial difficulty right now and have been told to raise £23m by the financial policing of the French league, or they could face a transfer ban or even relegation.

Selling Soumaoro, who is also said to be interesting West Ham United, Monaco, Sevillia and Borussia Dortmund, in January may allow them to make some of that money back, especially as they rate him at around £20m.

Meanwhile, Southampton's disappointing season went from bad to worse as they were beaten 4-1 at St Mary's by Leicester City and former Saints boss Claude Puel on Wednesday night, and current manager Mauricio Pellegrino will surely be thinking about adding new players to his squad during the upcoming window.

Their defensive frailties in recent times may be a concern, and bringing Soumaoro to the south coast could certainly prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Southampton must hijack Everton's bid to sign the Frenchman…

Future centre-back options

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While Southampton certainly have plenty of centre-back options as things stand right now, that could easily change in the coming weeks and months.

The rumours persist that Virgil van Dijk will either go in January or next summer, while Wesley Hoedt appears to be unhappy with his lack of game time – he was left out of the squad that faced Leicester on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Maya Yoshida is a fans' favourite among Saints fans but most of them probably wouldn't want him to start every week in the Premier League, while Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek are still very much developing.

It could leave Pellegrino with a problem, and he may want to get a new centre-back in the New Year to ensure that he can integrate him in slowly rather than throwing him straight into the fold next summer.

His qualities

He has only made four appearances for Lille this season after suffering an Achilles injury during the first three months of the campaign, but Soumaoro is already making a big impression in his team's backline.

According to Squawka, the centre-back has already won seven of the nine aerial duels he has faced, as well as making 13 clearances and seven blocks.

His passing accuracy of 91% is hugely impressive and shows how comfortable he is in possession of the ball, and that figure certainly isn't a one-off.

Last season, his accuracy was 92% in 27 Ligue 1 outings, according to Squawka, while he made 163 clearances and won 61 aerial duels.

His ability to beat opponents with the ball was also proved by the fact that he successfully completed 20 of the 21 take-ons he attempted.

Price tag

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Southampton's current club-record buy is Mario Lemina – whom they bought from Juventus for £18.1m during the summer – and that is an accurate indication of the sort of fee the south coast outfit are looking to pay when they target new players.

The Daily Mail says that Soumaoro could be available for around £20m in January, meaning he should certainly be on Saints' transfer list if they are in the market for a new centre-back.

Considering he could easily go on to be one of their first-choice central defenders over the course of the next four or five years, it could prove to be a wise investment – especially if they do sell van Dijk for a huge sum of money.

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