With Ralph Hasenhuttl seemingly unsure on his long term options for first choice keeper at St Mary's there will be a plethora of available shot stoppers linked with a move to Saints, here is the first candidate as the transfer window silly season approaches.
Media sources in Italy are suggesting that Saints are interested in Lazio keeper Thomas Strakosha who was reportably the subject of a £43 million pound bid from Liverpool a couple of years ago.
But his star has slightly waned this season and he has dropped down to second choice behind Pepe Raina in the pecking order this season and with a year left on his contract it is being suggested that Lazio would listen to offers in the region of £12 -15 million.
Strakosha although an Albanian international was born in Athens and started his career with clubs in the Athens area, but was spotted by Lazio in 2012 aged just 17 and joined their youth team,
In 2015 he was loaned to newly promoted Serie B side Salernitana and spent a year there before returning to Lazio, 2016/17 would be his breakthrough season and for that and the following 3 seasons he would be first choice.
But this season he has suffered a knee injury and also Covid 19 and this meant that veteran Pepe Raina has taken the number 1 spot and when fit and available has spent much of the time on the bench.
With his contract up next season Lazio are said to be willing to sell now rather than lose him for nothing next year, for his part the 6ft 4 inch Albanian international is said to be seeking a new challenge and Saints could fit the bill in the Premier League.
If Strakosha did arrive Saints would be looking to offload 3 of their 4 keepers on the books, Harry Lewis sees his current deal end in June and there are rumours that both Norwich & Stoke would be interested in Angus Gunn, that means that Saints would then look to make a choice between Alex McCarthy & Fraser Forster as number 2 and with both out of contract in June 2022 McCarthy would perhaps offer the best opportunity of getting a fee.