Barcelona transfer news: Southampton eyeing January swoop for out-of-favour Barca star Paco Alcacer
SOUTHAMPTON are eyeing a January move for unwanted Barcelona forward Paco Alcacer to solve their scoring woes.
Mauricio Pellegrino is desperate to bolster his strikeforce after seeing Saints fail to net in EIGHT of their last NINE home games.
Barca paid Valencia £30m for 24-year-old in the summer of 2016.
But they are ready to listen to offers for the Spain international, who scored only six times last season.
Southampton would favour a loan deal with the option to buy if Alcacer was a success in the Premier League.
Pellegrino’s men have scored just five times this season and desperately need to bolster their forward line.
Despite his troubles at the Nou Camp, Alcacer has a fine goalscoring record throughout his career.
After hitting 42 in 64 matches for Valencia’s second-string after his breakthrough from the youth side he was promoted to the senior set-up.
He repaid that faith with 30 goals in 93 games before earning his big move to Barca.
The star has also notched six times in 13 matches for his country.
LATEST SOUTHAMPTON NEWS
Barca are ready to allow him, Arda Turan and Thomas Vermaelen exit in order to free up funds and space in their squad.
Southampton spent big in January to sign Italian international Manolo Gabbiadini from Napoli.
But after six goals in his first four matches he has only found the net once since.
The summer transfer window was one the craziest we have ever seen.
Take a look at the most profitable transfers of ALL time.
And here are the Premier League players whose wages made them the most expensive per minute played.