According to reports in The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur are one of a number of Premier League clubs tracking Hoffenheim attacking midfielder Nadiem Amiri ahead of the January transfer window.
The Sun says that Spurs, along with top flight rivals Manchester United and Arsenal, are all keen on the Germany U21 international, who has been putting in some impressive performances for the Bundesliga outfit this term.
The 21-year-old, whose parents are from Aghanistan, still has two years left on his contract with the German club, but the report adds that that hasn't fazed Mauricio Pochettino and he is ready to launch a £20m bid for him in the New Year.
Meanwhile, Southampton's disappointing season continued as they were beaten 4-1 by Leicester City and former boss Claude Puel at St Mary's on Wednesday night, and current manager Mauricio Pellegrino will already be thinking about potential additions he could make when the window opens next month.
Both this season and last Saints have struggled in front of goal, and the former Liverpool defender may feel that bringing Amiri to the south coast could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Southampton should hijack Tottenham's bid to sign the attacker…
They need a new No.10
Even though Dusan Tadic picked up his 26th Premier League assist in a Southampton shirt – only Matthew Le Tissier has more – in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal at St Mary's on Sunday, his lack of form means he may not be the long-term solution in the No 10 position.
The Serbia international has only provided three of those 26 in his previous 27 Premier League matches, and the fans – and perhaps also manager Mauricio Pellegrino – are starting to run out of patience with the 29-year-old.
With Tadic and the likes of Sofiane Boufal and Steven Davis failing to make much of an impression behind the striker, bringing a talented central attacking midfielder like Amiri to St Mary's could sort out one of Saints' problem positions.
His qualities
Amiri is by no means the finished article, but his record of two goals and two assists in 13 Bundesliga appearances this season isn't too bad seeing as he has rarely completed the full 90 minutes for the German side.
According to Squawka, the 21-year-old has created 13 chances and been fouled on 22 occasions, while he has successfully completed eight of the 21 take-ons he has attempted.
The Germany U21 international certainly likes to dribble, but Mauricio Pellegrino would also be impressed by the fact that WhoScored.com lists two of his strengths as his concentration and his defensive contribution, meaning he isn't a liability like some of other attacking players.
Value for money
One of Southampton's main objectives in the transfer market is generally to buy young players that have the potential to develop and give them a platform to perform on and see their price tag increase, and they may sense there is an opportunity with Amiri.
If the south coast outfit can bring the 21-year-old to St Mary's for around £20m – which would still be a club-record fee – they will be confident that the attacking midfielder can progress and increase his value during his time with the club.
Considering he has 13 caps for the Germany U21 side, it may not be too long until he is a full international and that should only make him even more desirable.
Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.