Ralph can land Broja 2.0 as Southampton plot swoop for "exceptional" dynamo - opinion

Southampton have a track record when it comes to signing young players from fellow Premier League clubs during previous transfer windows, either on permanent or loan deals.

Some recent names who fit into this category include Gavin Bazunu, Valentino Livramento and Kyle Walker-Peters, among others.

One other youngster who started to make a name for himself at St Mary’s after arriving from another top-flight club is Armando Broja.

Signed from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal last summer, the striker went on to score nine goals in 38 appearances across all competitions.

To further highlight his attacking prowess, only James Ward-Prowse (51) and Che Adams (49) racked up more shots at goal in the league than the Chelsea youngster (48).

Should the Albanian not make a return to the south coast next season, one other player with whom the Saints have been linked and who could be seen as their next version of Broja is Manchester City striker Liam Delap.

In 2019, the 19-year-old joined City’s under-18 squad from Derby County’s youth ranks. Since then, the Englishman has made 60 appearances for the Manchester club across their senior and youth teams, scoring 46 goals and providing 16 assists along the way.

Labelled an “exceptional striker” by Pep Guardiola, Delap certainly knows how to find the net, something which often can’t be said of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side given how they only scored 43 goals in the Premier League last season.

Bearing in mind how the Citizens will have Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez in their ranks as their new centre-forward options for next season, this could make the teenager’s chances of getting regular game-time rather slim should their new additions hit the ground running.

Therefore, a move to St