Southampton could look to revisit their interest in Lecce midfielder Morten Hjulmand ahead of the club's first season back in the Championship, according to a report from The Athletic.
Who is Southampton signing this summer?
The Saints are set for one of their most important transfer windows in recent years as the club aims to bounce straight back up to the Premier League.
The club is expecting a number of players to depart this summer, with key names including Romeo Lavia who is linked with a move to both Chelsea and Liverpool, James Ward-Prowse who is linked with a move to a number of Premier League clubs such as West Ham United and Tino Livramento who is drawing interest from Champions League outfit Newcastle United, according to NUFC Blog.
The South Coast side will be hoping to bring in as much money as possible from sales in order to fund the rebuilding and retooling of their side.
One player that has been rumored to join Southampton is Swansea City captain Matt Grimes.
The 27-year-old was incoming manager Russell Martin's captain during his tenure at the club, and Martin may want to bring in a player who has a strong understanding of his philosophy and how to implement it.
Another player linked with a move is Manchester City academy prospect, Carlos Borges. The Portuguese winger desires for more regular first-team football, and a deal could be struck due to the strong relationship between the clubs.
The Athletic also reports that the club could reignite their interest in Hjulmand, who they tried to bring to St Mary's in the January transfer window. The Saints saw their £8.5m offer rejected by the Italian side, but there was a belief that an increased offer would have been accepted.
Would Hjulmand be a good signing for Southampton?
According to reports from Italy, the Danish international has drawn interest from a number of top European sides including Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, and Brentford, which may turn the player's head away from the Championship outfit.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a fine season for the Serie A side, averaging a rating of 6.82 across 35 appearances which was the highest rating any Lecce player achieved across the campaign, according to WhoScored.
Hjulmand shares a lot of statistical similarities with the current Saints star Lavia, with both players having very strong defensive numbers per 90 compared to other midfielders in Europe's top five leagues, as per FBref. Hjulmand, for example, ranks in the top 1% for interceptions per 90 and Lavia the top 4% for blocks per 90.
The £6.1k-per-week midfielder has received plenty of praise from journalists due to his performances this season, with Italian football expert Steven Moore stating:
"Looking for a regista who is also able to defend? Look no further than Lecce's Morten Hjulmand. At 23, he is one of the league’s rising stars and most underrated players."
Should Southampton manage to convince the Danish midfielder to turn down approaches from the top European sides, they will have their perfect Lavia replacement for just €20m (£17m).