Southampton are keen on signing young Portuguese midfielder Florentino Luís from Benfica. The 21-year-old defensive midfielder has come through the ranks at the Portuguese club making 32 appearances for the side.
As per The Sun, Florentino Luis is not only a target for the Saints, but newly-promoted Fulham, as well as AC Milan are interested in signing him. The youngster is seen as a like-for-like replacement for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who left the Saints for Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the summer.
Luis, who made his debut for the Benfica senior team in 2019, has four years remaining on his current deal at the club. The Portuguese midfielder has not yet played for his senior national team, but has represented Portugal in age group football.
Florentino Luis: A good replacement for Hojbjerg?
Southampton skipper Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg refused a new contract with the club and then moved to Spurs in August. The Danish midfielder captained the Saints and was an integral part of their midfield, thanks to his leadership, aggression and excellent work-rate in the middle of the park.
The Saints haven’t yet brought in a replacement for Hojbjerg, and have struggled in the three games that they’ve played so far in the season. They have lost all three of their games, two in the Premier League and one in the League Cup, with the duo of James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu not showing enough aggression and authority on the pitch.
Florentino Luis could bring to the table- the tenacity, work-rate, and defensive ability in the middle of the park for Southampton. Luis is a livewire on the pitch, making key tackles and interceptions, thanks to his good positioning, strength, and matured reading of the game. The defensive midfielder averaged 2.5 tackles and 3.3 interceptions in the 10 league appearances in the 2019-20 season. He is a decent passer of the ball, but primarily likes to play safe and circulate possession among the backline and the midfield.
The manager will not be looking at him to provide a creative spark and instead task a player like Florentino Luis to provide stability in his own half.
Luis is a player with a lot of potential and he could blossom into a fine defensive midfielder in the Premier League. He could thrive under Ralph Hasenhuttl’s pressing game and shore up the Saints midfield, which has a big hole to fill following Hojbjerg’s departure.
