Championship outfit Southampton are keeping tabs on Brøndby’s star winger Nicolai Vallys but face competition from Premier League giants Manchester United and Aston Villa.
The Danish side are locked in a tense title race early into the season with Champions League competitors Copenhagen but picked up a massive 2-1 victory over FC Nordsjælland in the Superliga on Sunday. Vallys bagged the winner to hand his team all three points.
According to Scandinavian outlet Ekstra Bladet (via Sport Witness), the Saints sent scouts to Denmark yesterday to watch Vallys in action for Brøndby and certainly will have been left impressed by his performance.
The 27-year-old can play as an attacking midfielder as well as on the wing and has had an excellent goalscoring season this term, bagging seven goals in 14 appearances in all competitions at the Brøndby Stadium.
His impressive return even earned him a first call-up to the Danish national team in September for games against San Marino and Finland. Vallys came off the bench against the former to make his debut for his country.
Brøndby boss Jesper Sørensen is a big admirer of Vallys but admitted that a move could be on the cards in the near future [quotes via Sport Witness]:
“I don’t go about my day worrying about whether we can keep Vallys. But if there is someone else who thinks Vallys is more talented than us, then I can really understand that.”
Alongside the English trio of Southampton, Villa and Manchester United, a host of other top European clubs are interested in securing Vallys’ signature including VfL Wolfsburg, Real Betis, Marseille and PSV Eindhoven.
As per Transfermarkt, Vallys’ deal runs until 2026 and the player is currently valued at £2.6 million.
Writer’s View
It will be difficult for Southampton to stick out from the crowd when clubs competing in Europe are interested in signing Vallys. However, the Saints may be able to offer the prospect of consistent first-team football which others like Aston Villa won’t be able to.
Vallys is a wonderfully gifted player on the ball and has a high footballing IQ, meaning he would suit a possession-based side like Russell Martin’s at the St. Mary’s Stadium.
