“Excellent player” – Journalist raves over “very talented” £8.5m star Southampton want

Southampton target Mattias Svanberg has been labelled ‘an excellent player’ by Italian football expert Conor Clancy as speculation over his future continues to mount.

The 23-year-old has been linked with a move to St. Mary’s in recent weeks after entering the final 12 months of his contract with Bologna and could be set to seek pastures new.

According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Southampton’s ‘concrete proposal’ for Svanberg has ‘arrived at Bologna’.

The Sweden international is said to be ‘extremely attracted’ to the Premier League, opening the door to a potential move to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s charges.

However, tying up a deal for Svanberg may prove difficult for Southampton as Serie A giants Napoli are also listed as potential suitors for the central midfielder.

It’s claimed that the Azzurri ‘like’ the engine room operator but have not made an official offer for him at the moment in time.

Nevertheless, Napoli’s hierarchy are said to have informed Svanberg’s entourage that they would like to welcome him at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona next season.

Southampton are believed to have come forward with a €10 million (£8.5m) bid after Svanberg refused to put pen to paper on fresh term with Bologna.

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And Clancy has revealed how he gets ‘a little bit frustrated’ on the Scandinavian’s behalf when watching the Rossoblù play due to how restricted he is in their system.

He told GiveMeSport: “I personally think that Svanberg is an excellent player, and he’s one of those that I get a little bit frustrated on behalf of when I watch Bologna because you just want to see him be allowed to play.”

An unnamed source in