Southampton are interested in free-firing Aberdeen marksman Bojan Miovski, who has attracted the attention of owners Sport Republic after an excellent first year in Scotland.
What’s the latest on Southampton’s striker search?
In January, Southampton completed the signing of Paul Onuachu from Genk for £18m, but with the club’s woeful campaign shackling them to the bottom of the Premier League table, prospective summer acquisitions are already being distinguished.
And according to the Scottish Sun (via Aberdeen Live), Saints are keeping tabs on the prolific Miovski, and recently sent scouts to watch the ace during a 4-0 away defeat to Celtic.
Having signed for the Dons for only £535k from MTK Budapest last summer, the North Macedonian man could earn his big break in the Premier League in short time, and while Aberdeen have not attached a price tag to his name, his value has nearly tripled to £1.5m, as per Football Transfers.
Should Southampton sign Miovski?
In his first season in Scotland, the 23-year-old has already plundered 17 goals from 32 appearances, including 15 strikes from 27 matches in the Scottish Premiership.
And considering his seasonal tally is the greatest of his career, indeed the first time he has netted double figures in a single league season, there is an upward trajectory that Southampton will hope can be replicated in England.
While Saints’ Premier League future hangs precariously in the balance, five points adrift of safety after 24 league clashes, the allure of English football could work in boss Ruben Selles’ favour, with the 13-cap star adopting a talismanic role to either preserve top-flight status or forge a way back from the Championship next term.
Lauded as a forward with “pace, power and fantastic movement” by Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin, his impressive goalscoring record is bolstered by his 2.1 shots and 0.6 key passes per game, illustrating a robust nature and a desire to get stuck in and pump life into his outfit, who are currently sixth in the division.
Of the striker, Goodwin also said: “He ticks all of the boxes in terms of profile – he is about 6ft 3in, very mobile, very athletic and a decent turn of pace.
“Most importantly for a striker he has got a knack of being in the right place at the right time.”
With a transfer, Selles could in fact replicate the masterclass swoop for Virgil van Dijk, who was also clinched from Scotland, arriving from Celtic for £13m in 2015 before making a world-record £75m switch to Liverpool in 2017, after forging 80 outings and scoring seven goals.
With the Dutch defender hailed as “outrageous” by Jonathan Woodgate, his career trajectory is an embodiment of the shrewd and supreme prowess of Southampton’s transfer department, and if the 23-year-old Miovski, who is discernibly efficient in front of the net and possessing that innate predatory instinct, his own value could be nurtured and grown into a mammoth figure at St. Mary’s Stadium.
After all, those to cross the border and arrive on the English south coast have become figureheads before, not least Van Dijk but also the likes of Victor Wanyama and Fraser Forster.
With such a laudable goal record for Aberdeen this term, indeed the most potent season of Miovski’s career yet, there will be considerable optimism from Saints that a move could not only materialise, but perhaps be deal that will etch its name into the outfit’s folklore.
