Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl can seal his dream alternative to Manchester City's Liam Delap by signing VfB Stuttgart's Sasa Kalajdzic this summer.

Both players have been on the club's radar for a while as they look to strengthen their attacking options heading into the new Premier League season.

German outlet Bild reported the club's interest in Kalajdzic last week, with a recent tweet from journalist Ekrem Konur saying that Saints are planning a £23m bid for Delap after having their first offer rejected.

The club have recently completed the signing of striker Sekou Mara from French side Bordeaux this week, but manager Hasenhuttl has revealed that he doesn't plan on stopping there.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, he revealed that Mara "is not the only offensive player" that the club want to bring in saying that the strikers are the ones who make the difference.

With both Delap and Kalajdzic on his list, it's left speculation as to which one he might be targeting next.

Stuttgart are said to want £20m for Kalajdzic so he would be a cheaper alternative to Delap for Hasenhuttl and arguably a better option too.

He's also Austrian, so Ralph might prefer to link up with his fellow countryman, and with his contract running out next summer they could land a bargain.

The 25-year-old has been dubbed “unbelievable” by Victoria Lopyreva - and with seven direct goal contributions in 15 Bundesliga appearances last season, you can see why.

That compares to Delap who has only ever made two Premier League appearances for City. However, he's only 19 and has a great goalscoring record at youth level, being directly involved in ten goals across ten games in Premier League 2 last season.

Whilst investing in youth is something Hasenhuttl is looking to do, if Saints are to avoid being in a relegation battle next season then they need attackers who can perform now.

Kalajdzic has proven to be ready so it would make more sense for the club to spend their money on him than take a risk on a player with little experience like Delap.

Time will tell what Ralph's decision is, but it could have a huge bearing on the level of success Saints achieve next season.

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