Southampton win race for Argentine midfielder

Southampton have agreed a deal to sign Racing Club midfielder Carlos Alcaraz.

The Saints sit bottom of the Premier League after 18 games, having picked up just 12 points thus far, and club officials are keen to bolster this month in an attempt to climb their way out of a relegation battle.

Winger Mislav Orsic has already joined from Dinamo Zagreb and Alcaraz is set to be the next new face through the door, with Racing confirming an agreement over a €13.6m fee and a 15% sell-on clause.

Alcaraz is now set to travel to England for a medical ahead of putting pen to paper on a deal to become the club’s 12th signing of the season so far.

20-year-old Alcaraz has played in a number of different appearances across his 83 appearances for Racing Club but has primarily been used as a central midfielder, and so will bolster a problem area for Nathan Jones.

With Romeo Lavia’s hamstring injury limiting him to just nine appearances so far, Southampton have largely relied on a midfield duo of James Ward-Prowse and Ibrahima Diallo, with versatile loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles also being deployed centrally at times.

Bolstering in midfield was a top priority for Southampton but the Saints are still pursuing deals for players in a number of different positions.

Finding a new striker is also on the agenda. Lorient’s Terem Moffi is of interest, while Southampton are among the sides to have expressed an interest in Aston Villa’s Danny Ings, who left St Mary’s in 2021.