Southampton have been dealt a potential blow in the race to land Werder Bremen forward Milot Rashica in the summer.
According to German outlet Deich Stube, Rashica wants to be playing European football next season and that is one of the reasons why he wants to leave Bremen, with the forward having a release clause of £33m.
Southampton and Liverpool are both said to be interested in Rashica, as per Weser Kurier, which means that they could be competing against each other for his signature.
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This could be a huge blow to Southampton in their pursuit of Rashica, as European football next season is beginning to look unlikely for the Saints. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are currently 13th in the Premier League and eight points off the top six, whilst they have also already been knocked out of the FA Cup.
Southampton would now need to make up at least eight points on 6th-placed Wolves and overtake seven teams in the last 10 games in order to qualify for the Europa League next season. Liverpool, meanwhile, have already secured their place in the Champions League next season.
This means that Liverpool could hold a huge advantage over Southampton in the race to land Rashica. If the Saints are unable to offer Rashica what he wants then it could be very difficult for them to get a deal over the line ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
