Southampton have made a surprising offer to AS Roma for experienced striker Edin Dzeko with the Serie A side considering cashing on the 34-year-old, according to Italian outlet Il Romanista.
The Saints are faced with a difficult situation with regards to the long-term future of Danny Ings, with Southampton having held talks with him over a potential new deal but with no agreement being reached yet. It has also been reported that the England international wants to play Champions League football and there has been transfer interest from Leicester City, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side might therefore have to consider potential alternatives to Ings if they cannot sort out a new contract for him. Il Romanista’s report suggests that the Saints have already made a move for Dzeko, with the forward – who won the Premier League title on two occasions with Manchester City – having fallen out with Roma manager Paulo Fonseca.
However, the report added that the Saints’ offer for Dzeko has been knocked back and that a move to St Mary’s is not what the 112-cap Bosnia-Herzegovina international is seeking, with Premier League rivals West Ham also trying to land the player. It therefore seems likely that he will remain with Roma for now and will need to fight for his place in the team.
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This is a very surprising development, with the Saints having just released a report which shows they have been struggling due to the difficult financial situation around football at the moment. Dzeko is likely to have demanded a huge wage to make the move to St Mary’s and so it would have been interesting to see whether they were willing to pay what he was seeking.
The 34-year-old has been a consistent and reliable scorer throughout his career and he has netted seven goals in Serie A already this term in 15 appearances (Sofascore). That comes after he scored 16 league goals last season to show that he can still be potent in the final third, even at this stage in his career.
Southampton will have to move onto other targets now if they were interested in Dzeko, but it would probably be best if they were able to convince Ings to sign a new contract.
