Southampton are interested in signing young Nice defender Flavius Daniliuc. The Austrian was a part of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich’s youth academy before joining Nice last summer.
As per Daily Mail, Southampton are one of several Premier League clubs interested in signing the 20-year-old. West Ham United are also keen on signing him. Daniliuc played 26 times for the French side in his debut campaign in Ligue 1.
The young Austrian has three years remaining on his current deal at Nice. He hasn’t represented the Austrian senior side, but plays for the U21 team presently.
Flavius Daniliuc to Southampton – A good backup option for Hasenhuttl?
It doesn’t come as a surprise that Ralph Hasenhuttl is interested in signing his compatriot Flavius Daniliuc. The centre-back is an exciting talent who has a promising future ahead of him.
The young defender is a strong and powerful player who likes to tackle and win the ball back from the opposition quickly. He is quick in pressing the ball and winning it back and is good in one-on-one situations.
Daniliuc is also a neat passer of the ball, who rarely gives it away and tries to build attacks from the back. He averaged 2.3 long balls per game in Ligue 1 last season, and completed 87% of all his passes.
The Austrian’s natural position is at centre-back, but his speed and passing have allowed him to slot in at right-back as well. It isn’t a surprise as Daniliuc was a wide player in his younger years, who was then converted into a centre-back.
The youngster could be a useful backup option in the defensive line for Ralph Hasenhuttl if he is signed by Southampton. The duo of Jannik Vestergaard and Jan Bednarek played as the two centre-backs for Southampton last season for the majority of the season.
Southampton are West Ham are both interested in signing defender Flavius Daniliuc from Nice.
(Source: Mail) pic.twitter.com/fxKeqvHMYr
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Jack Stephens was a backup option to them, while youngster Mohammed Salisu played a few games too. Four first-team centre-backs should be sufficient for the Saints manager ahead of the season, and he could rotate between them for league and cup games.
Daniliuc, though, is a player with a lot of promise who could go on to be a top player for the Saints. The addition of the Austrian will add pace to the backline, which is lacking in players like Vestergaard, Bednarek or Stephens.
The 20-year-old could be a backup option who could provide cover in the centre-back and right-back positions for Southampton. The Nice defender has the ability and qualities to be a decent Premier League player.
Stats via Whoscored