Southampton ‘to join’ race for Norway defender Henrik Falchener | OneFootball

Southampton are reportedly set to join the race for Norway and Viking centre-back Henrik Falchener before Tuesday’s deadline.

The Athletic reported earlier this month that two offers from Championship side Wrexham were turned down. Falchener, 23, has two senior caps and was part of Norway’s World Cup squad.

He remains a Viking player and featured in their Champions League qualifying win over Dinamo Zagreb last night, assisting in a 3-1 home victory that sealed a 5-3 aggregate success. He was withdrawn after around an hour with a suspected knock.

Viking will compete in the league phase of the Champions League for the first time this season, having been crowned league champions last campaign.

The Norwegian club are understood to have an asking price that would permit a sale if met, and a bidding war is expected in the coming days.

Southampton have shown willingness to pay around 100m krone.

The St Mary’s side are expected to announce Augsburg centre-back Keven Schlotterbeck imminently after agreeing a fee. He is not seen as a replacement for Taylor Harwood-Bellis, with negotiations over the latter continuing with Aston Villa.

Falchener has scored eight goals in 55 appearances for Viking and offers aerial threat at around six-foot-three. Right-footed, he posted an 88.5 per cent passing accuracy in the Eliteserien last term and completed almost half of his long balls.

Source: Daily Echo

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