Southampton keen on club record bid for Fulham striker

Southampton want to hand Aleksandar Mitrovic a Premier League lifeline and table a club record £30m bid for the Fulham striker, claims The Daily Express.

Fulham spent a reported £22m to make Mitrovic’s loan stint from Newcastle permanent last summer after the Serbia international fired them to promotion from the Championship last term.

The Cottagers failed to beat the drop in their first season back in the Premier League and are now bracing themselves for offers in their star striker.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl successfully steered the club away from the relegation zone and now plans to kick on next season, identifying Mitrovic as a top target.

The south coast outfit will face competition from their Premier League rivals for Mitrovic but are willing to eclipse the club record fee paid for Jannik Vestergaard last summer to land him.

Mitrovic’s goals and assists (14) are directly responsible for 41.2% of the goals Fulham have scored in the Premier League this season, while the 24-year-old has won more aerial duels than any other player in the division (236).