Southampton are planning to raid Atletico Madrid for the services of Luciano Vietto. The South American international is on the wish list of newly appointed manager Mauricio Pellegrino as he is very keen to improve his forward line.
Vietto moved to Atletico from Villarreal in 2015 but failed to showcase his potential resulting in a loan move to Sevilla the following season. He has been a completely different player at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. The 23-year-old netted ten goals in all competitions for the Spanish side alongside racking up five assists for them.
But Vietto is not in the long term plans of Diego Simeone who continues to pair Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres upfront. The latter has signed a one-year extension to commit his future to the club so Vietto would find it hard to nail down a place in the starting lineup.
Despite proving himself on the bigger stage, Vietto failed to earn the trust of Simeone. He basically failed to adapt to the more physical approach of Simeone at the Vicente Calderon.
Southampton are known for their flair and fluid passing game so Vietto’s arrival would be an added incentive for them. They recently lost Jay Rodriguez to West Bromwich Albion and Pellegrino thinks Vietto could be a substantial addition at the St Mary’s.
The Saints have one of the fiercest attacking line-ups with the presence of Manolo Gabbiadini, Charlie Austin and Shane Long but despite having them in the side, they struggled for goals last season.
Charlie Austin’s injury was a great deal of concern for the Saints who did not see the best of Shane Long in the last season despite being offered ample opportunities. So Pellegrino wants to add the youngster as he is planning to make an impression in his maiden season.
The 45-year-old gaffer had watched the player in the La Liga during his tenure at Alaves. So he is expected to have made an appropriate analysis of the player.
Pellegrino has already stamped his authority at the club having rejected all the offers for Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk. The centre-back is one of the most in-demand players in the transfer market but the manager has made his stance clear that he is not going to part ways with the player anytime soon.
Vietto is predominantly a number nine but can be stationed on either flank. He can also operate from just behind the main striker so Pellegrino doesn’t have to tweak much with his preferred formation in the coming season.
