Southampton are one of several Premier League sides reportedly taking an interest in Sampdoria winger Mikkel Damsgaard ahead of the summer transfer window, and if he were to join Ralph Hasenhuttl's side he could prove to be an upgrade on Moussa Djenepo.

According to the Daily Star, Southampton, West Ham and Leeds United are set to rival Tottenham Hotspur for the 20-year-old in the summer, after his impressive performances in Serie A this season.

The report suggests that the Italian side would demand around £15 million for the youngster, having signed him for just £5.2 million from Nordsjaelland last summer.

In 20 Serie A appearances this season, Damsgaard has averaged a solid 6.76 rating for Claudio Ranieri's side, with two goals and four assists to his name.

If he were to join Southampton, he would likely challenge Nathan Redmond and Djenepo for the stating spot on the left-hand side, although he has also featured as a central-midfielder and a striker in his career thus far.

Given Djenepo's poor performances this season, with the Mali international having managed just one goal and no assists in 15 Premier League appearances, it is perhaps fair to suggest that Damsgaard could be an upgrade on the 22-year-old.

Djenepo has earned a disappointing average 6.5/10 rating for his performances this season, and averages 0.7 shots per game, 0.3 key passes per game and just 17.1 passes per game in the top-flight.

Damsgaard, meanwhile, averages 0.7 shots, 0.8 key passes and 21.5 passes per game for Sampdoria, despite featuring much more regularly as a substitute.

Therefore, the Danish international looks to be much more of a threat going forwards than Djenepo, who is perhaps guilty of trying too much at times, often losing the ball when attempting dribbles and generally just not offering enough in the final third for Hasenhuttl.

Considering Damsgaard is younger than Djenepo and available at an affordable price, Martin Semmens should definitely try and bring him to St Mary's this summer, as he looks to have a really bright future.

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