According to German media outlet Sport Bild, Newcastle United are interested in signing Hertha Berlin striker Davie Selke, who is rated at £7.2m according to Transfermarkt, before the January transfer window slams shut on Wednesday.
Magpies manager Rafa Benitez is desperate to bring in a new centre-forward to the club before the end of the month with his team lying just one point above the Premier League relegation zone with 22 goals in their 24 top flight matches so far this season.
First-choice strikers Joselu and Dwight Gayle have only netted seven of those, and the Tyneside outfit have been heavily linked with a number of new attackers in the last couple of weeks, with Selke's name cropping up alongside Feyenoord's Nicolai Jorgensen this week.
Meanwhile, Southampton are having goalscoring problems of their own with 24 in 24 Premier League games, and they currently lie one point below the Toon and are situated in the bottom three.
Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino looks to be closing in on a £19.2m deal for Monaco striker Guido Carrillo, but the under-fire Argentine won't be finished there when it comes to strengthening his attacking options and bringing Selke to St Mary's could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Southampton must hijack Newcastle's bid to sign the 23-year-old…
They need another attacker
Even though Southampton appear to be on the verge of signing Carrillo, the fact that Charlie Austin is currently out with a serious hamstring injury, Manolo Gabbiadini is out of favour and Shane Long has been struggling for goals over the last year suggests they might need another striker before Wednesday – especially if either of the latter duo leaves.
Pellegrino will be looking at potential centre-forwards to arrive late on in the window, and Selke should be an option given how well he has done in recent months for Hertha Berlin.
Goals
Selke missed the opening seven Bundesliga matches of the season because of injury, but he has returned in great goalscoring form for Hertha.
The 23-year-old has netted nine goals in 16 appearances in all competitions – including four in three matches in the Europa League – and it is no surprise that he is attracting admiring glances from Premier League clubs.
With nine goals in 15 caps for the Germany U21s previously, the striker has proven that he can score goals at an impressive rate and that is exactly what Southampton need right now in their current predicament.
Style of play
Selke's game is built on pace, strength and aggression – as well as his finishing abilities – and he is quite effective in the air.
According to WhoScored.com, the 23-year-old has won 72 of the 147 aerial duels he has faced in 15 appearances in the Bundesliga and the Europa League this term, while he has also made 13 key passes and successfully completed 14 of the 36 dribbles he has attempted.
While he is by no means the finished article, the German has all of the attributes to be a success in the Premier League and to cause opposition defenders plenty of problems.
Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.