Southampton eye transfer for Borussia Dortmund ace wanted by AC Milan | OneFootball

Luca Reggiani has emerged as a late-window target for the Championship outfit

Southampton FC have reportedly lodged an offer for the services of Borussia Dortmund ace, Luca Reggiani, ahead of Tuesday's 11PM transfer deadline.

That is according to Gianluca Di Marzio, who has provided an update on the Italian defender's future with the Bundesliga side via X, with Southampton looking to further build on their respectable start to the Championship season after the uncertainty of Spygate.

Tonda Eckert's side started their second successive campaign at second tier level with a four-point deficit due to EFL sanctions, but after an opening-day defeat to Watford, have responded with emphatic home victories over Stoke City and Millwall, in turn wiping out the points' deduction.

It still remains to be seen if the German head coach will be able to oversee a first full campaign in senior management amid reports that an FA ban could still be forthcoming in September, but Saints have certainly been one of the division's most-active clubs in the market as the summer deadline looms.

Seven new players have already walked through the door at St Mary's since the opening of the window, which includes the permanent signing of Daniel Peretz from Bayern Munich, whilst James Ward-Prowse completed his own return to Hampshire from West Ham United a matter of days ago.

Southampton plot audacious late-window move for Borussia Dortmund's Luca Reggiani

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However, further defensive reinforcements appear to have been eyed by the South Coast club, although it would certainly be a statement if they were able to lure the aforementioned Reggiani to the Championship.

The 18-year-old was signed by the Bundesliga giants from Sassuolo in the summer of 2024, and eventually made his breakthrough at the Signal Iduna Park in the second half of last season, which included one appearance in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League against Atalanta.

On March 20th, amid his breakthrough into the first-team fold under Niko Kovač, Dortmund confirmed that Reggiani had put pen-to-paper on his maiden professional contract, eventually making eight appearances in the Bundesliga, with his first senior goal coming in a 2-0 home win over FC Augsburg.

However, there has been intense speculation this summer over the one-time Azzurri international making a return to his home country, with strong links to bitter city rivals, AC Milan and Inter Milan, which have continued into the final week of the window.

But, after revealing that English clubs have also shown an interest in the highly-rated defender, Di Marzio has now claimed that an offer has been lodged by Saints, although it remains to be seen if this is on a loan or permanent basis.

Southampton's Luca Reggiani interest comes amid expected Taylor Harwood-Bellis exit

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Whilst Southampton recently acquired the services of Keven Schlotterbeck from Augsburg, links to Reggiani also come at the same time Taylor Harwood-Bellis' departure is expected to be confirmed.

The 24-year-old has attracted interest for the majority of the summer, and after scoring seven times last season, the one-cap England international is bound for Aston Villa in a deal reportedly worth £30m, with the Birmingham outfit seeking a swift replacement for Ezri Konsa, who was one of several high-profile departures from Unai Emery's squad regardless of their return to the UEFA Champions League.

Southampton will hope promotion bid attracts Luca Reggiani to St Mary's

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Given the links to clubs in Italy, Saints may face an uphill battle in securing Reggiani's services, although given they have already wiped out their points' deficit as many expected, they will also be fancied to challenge for promotion yet again.

As such, this route into a first shot at Premier League football could entice a player of his quality at such a young age, whilst more first-team minutes are also likely to be guaranteed due to the need for rotation throughout a 46-game season.