“May have fierce competition for his signature” – Southampton plot move to sign Bristol City star: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton have joined Premier League rivals Leicester City in the pursuit of Bristol City midfielder Han-Noah Massengo, as per a report from Football Insider.

The 20-year-old has been one of the Robins’ brightest prospects since his arrival at Ashton Gate back in the summer of 2019 in a whopping £8m deal, joining from Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco.

Appearing as a regular starter for Nigel Pearson’s men this term, making 25 league appearances in total thus far, his talent has shone through as one highlight of the second-tier side’s season.

His current club could be the victim of his displays though with both the Foxes and the Saints thought to be considering a move for him after keeping close tabs.

The duo would need to fork out a fee to recruit him in the summer if they did follow up their interest, although they could potentially negotiate a cut-price deal with his contract expiring in less than 18 months time.

Would he be a good signing for the south-coast side though? And is he needed? We asked three of our writers at Football League World for their verdict on these two key questions.

Marcus Ally

Bristol City will have their work cut out trying to convince Massengo to stay at Ashton Gate given the performances he has put in recently and his age.

The Frenchman’s contract runs out at the end of next season which means the Robins’ last chance to recoup a hefty fee could come in the summer transfer window.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has performed admirably this term to have the Saints well clear of any relegation fears.

Sou