Southampton may be snubbed by £9m forward, he wants La Liga move

Southampton want Josip Brekalo but Wolfsburg’s Torino Serie A loanee is prioritising a move to La Liga over the Premier League, as reported by Kicker. 

When signing the Croatia international on an initial short-term deal last summer, Torino agreed on a £9 million purchase clause with his Bundesliga-based parent club.  

But with Brekalo making it clear that he has absolutely no interest in staying for a second season at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino – at least, that was the message relayed to the Granata bosses over the weekend – no one at the Serie A outfit is particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of spending a sizeable sum of money on a man who doesn’t want to be there.

And who can blame them?

Brekalo’s decision to leave Torino is not the result of a burning desire to make up for lost time at Wolfsburg either. Kicker adds that the Zagreb-born schemer has little interest in wearing the famous evergreen shirt of Die Wolfe in 2022/23 either. 

If you’re wondering what that sizzling sound is, it’s just the noise of Brekalo burning all his bridges down.

Southampton want Josip Brekalo

Tuttosport claimed last week that Southampton were willing to offer Brekalo, who has never played in England before, a change of scenery at St Mary’s.

Ralph Hasenhuttl and co are prioritising a commanding centre-half and a new goalkeeper. But, with Theo Walcott, Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo unlikely to stay, attacking additions are also a must. 

According to Kicker, however, Brekalo is setting his sights not on the Premier League but on La Liga instead.

An explosive and unpredictable player, Brekalo has been likened to Arjen Robben – albeit a right-footed version – due to his penchant for cutting in from out wide. He scored seven goals in 31 Serie A matches for Torino. It remains to be seen if he gets his wish of a move to Spain’s top-flight.

Wolfsburg are certainly unlikely to stand in his way, especially with just one year left on Brekalo’s contract. The 2009 Bundesliga champions have already snapped up two new forwards in Jakub Kaminski and Patrick Wimmer. 

In other news, Winger pulled out of squad for tonight’s game to help finalise Arsenal transfer