Southampton face a battle to hold on to the highly regarded Carlos Alcaraz this summer, with CalcioMercato, via Sport Witness, reporting that Napoli are keen to sign the player.
How many games has Carlos Alcaraz played for Southampton?
The 20-year-old only joined up with the Premier League side in January, with the club fighting to try and avoid the drop down to the Championship. Whilst the Saints were unable to avoid finishing in the relegation spots, the midfielder played a key role in the second half of the campaign and was given 18 games in total for the side, bagging four goals and setting up two despite featuring in the middle of the field.
Whilst he didn't have much opportunity to prove himself in the top flight, he did manage to rank himself highly amongst those in the Men's 'Top Five big leagues in Europe in the same position as him. His non-penalty goal rate of 0.35 per 90 puts him in the top 16% in that area – showcasing how superb the Argentina man has been at hitting the back of the net.
Now, those performances have drawn attention from Napoli according to a report from CalcioMercato, via Sport Witness. The Italian side have been keeping a close eye on him for a while states the report, and it also adds that they are big fans of the player and feel he could come in and play in a similar way to Radja Nainngolan.
However, the Serie A winners are not the only team trying to pry Alcaraz away from Southampton, with other Premier League sides also keeping tab on the situation of the player.
What is Alcaraz worth?
It's unclear how much Alcaraz might set Napoli back but Transfermarkt suggest that his current value is somewhere around the 15 million Euros (or £12.9m) mark. If that is the case, then a deal would be a significant bit of business for Southampton, who would not only make a slight profit on the youngster but could then use that eight-figure sum to strengthen for a year in the Championship.
It would be a blow though if they were to lose the Argentine. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has given the player some high praise in the past, stating that the midfielder is "one of the biggest talents in Argentina".