Southampton are plotting a bargain move for Lyon striker Moussa Dembele this summer as the player enters the final year of his contract.

What's the word?

That's according to a report in The Sun, who claim the ex-Celtic man who's now playing in Ligue 1 could be available for a cut-price of £10m as his deal runs down.

The Frenchman is no stranger to English football, having started his career at Fulham where he scored 19 goals in 64 appearances.

Saints are in need of a boost to their attacking options and Dembele could provide much-needed competition.

He can replace Broja

The main reason Ralph Hasenhuttl's side need to strengthen up front is due to the loss of Armando Broja. The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at St Mary's from Chelsea and was a key player in the side.

He made a total of 38 appearances and directly contributed to ten goals, so the club need to bring someone in to at least replicate those numbers.

Dembele would be the perfect man for that, having scored 22 times last season he could easily become the Saints' main goal-scoring threat.

However, they need to move quickly before they face stiff competition from bigger clubs and comes with a fine reputation, having been described as "exceptional" by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

When you compare the 25-year-old to his positional peers in Europe's top five leagues over the last year, it proves just how much of a disaster it would be for Lyon if they lost him.

He ranks in the top 6% for goals scored proving just how prolific he is, but what's Lyon's loss can be the Saints' gain.

He also does his fair share of work out of possession, placing in the top 10% for tackles in the attacking third helping the team win back possession high up the pitch.

When you compare both Dembele and Broja directly you can also clearly see how much of an upgrade he would be. The Franchman created six big chances in the league last season compared to the Albanian's two.

He also averaged 1.5 shots on target per game which was more than Broja's 0.7.

This is too big an opportunity for Hasenhuttl to turn down, and if he wants success with Southampton next season then he needs to do everything to convince Dembele to move.

IN other news: Ralph can land Broja 2.0 as Southampton plot swoop for "exceptional" dynamo...