"On their shortlist" – Journalist drops Southampton claim on striker with same agency as JWP

Southampton have Manchester City youngster Liam Delap on their shortlist of strikers they want to sign this summer, according to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay.

Ralph Hasenhuttl currently has just two strikers under contract and is therefore looking to bolster his frontline before the season gets underway.

With Shane Long, whose deal runs out this month, yet to commit his future to Saints and Armando Broja returning to parent club Chelsea, the Austrian manager’s only two options are Che Adams and Adam Armstrong.

Therefore, according to The Sun, Southampton are plotting a move for Delap, after recently making his ex-City teammate Gavin Bazunu their first summer addition, with the goalkeeper signing on a permanent basis.

The 19-year-old, who’s got the same agency as Saints captain James Ward-Prowse, has appeared just six times for Pep Guardiola’s side, but his brilliant form for the Under-23s has seen him catch the eye.

Last summer, up to six Championship clubs were interested in signing Delap, although injuries forced him to spend the entire season with the Premier League champions.

But with Delap back fit again, he’s on Southampton’s radar as they seek a loan deal in what would prove a cheap option for Hasenhuttl.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I wrote a while ago that Delap was on their shortlist, when I was writing about Bazunu, those were two guys that I mentioned.

“I do think that Liam Delap is a player that has bags of potential, loads of ability and needs game-time and isn’t going to get it at City, especially after the signings of Haaland and Alvarez.”

Darwin Nunez to Liverpool! Done Deal! Hear more on The Football Terrace…

A long-term injury sustained during the first half of the campaign reduced the teenager to just