Croatia international Mislav Orsic is reportedly undergoing his medical at Southampton after the Premier League club agreed a £8m fee with Dinamo Zagreb.
Nathan Jones is keen to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window, with his side struggling at the foot of the top-flight table after losing 12 of their 18 matches so far this season.
Indeed, the Welsh head coach is said to be looking to recruit players with experience to help in their quest for survival, with 30-year-old Orsic identified as one of his top attacking targets.
A recent report claimed that the Saints had suffered a blow in their pursuit of the Zagreb star, who was considering offers from other clubs.
However, The Athletic reports that Zagreb have accepted Southampton's latest offer for Orsic worth an initial £6m plus add-ons, potentially taking the total cost of the transfer to around £8m.
The report adds that fellow Premier League sides Everton and Nottingham Forest were also linked with a move for Orsic, but Southampton now appear to have won the race for his signature.
© Reuters
A separate report from Sky Sports News claims that the attacker has travelled to the South Coast to undergo his medical, with the Saints hoping to complete the transfer quickly.
After starting his career with Croatian club Inter Zapresic, Orsic experienced spells in Italy, Slovenia, South Korea and China before returning to boyhood club Zagreb in 2018.
Orsic has since scored 91 goals and registered 40 assists in 214 appearances for Zagreb across all competitions, and has also won a total of seven trophies at the club including four successive Croatian top-flight titles.
In recent seasons, Orsic has established a reputation of scoring against English clubs, firstly netting a famous hat-trick for Zagreb against Tottenham Hotspur to knock them out of the Europa League in 2020.
Orsic also found the net against West Ham United in the same competition last season, before scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the Champions League group stage this term.
The 27-cap Croatia international recently represented his country at the 2022 World Cup, scoring once and providing two assists in six appearances as the Checkered Ones finished third in Qatar.
© Reuters
Southampton also have other transfer targets on their radar this month, including 21-year-old Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson.
The Athletic reports that the Saints have approached the La Liga club to discuss an initial six-month loan deal for the Senegal international with the option to make the move permanent in the summer.
Southampton have also been credited with an interest in Racing Club midfielder Carlos Alcaraz, and have allegedly opened talks to sign the 20-year-old, who is also wanted by Inter Milan and Benfica.
Lorient striker Terem Moffi, who has scored 10 Ligue 1 goals so far this season, is also said to be on Southampton's radar.
Oliver Thomas
