Southampton are said to be among a number of clubs keen to sign Lorient youngster Alexis Claude-Maurice during the summer transfer window. The forward turned heads with his displays for Les Merlus in Ligue 2 last season, when he scored 14 goals from 35 appearances – all of them starts.
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Among those thought to be keen are West Ham United, who have reportedly already tabled a £12m bid for the 21-year-old star. Italian outfit Torino have been credited with an interest and Calcio Mercato are reporting that Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl wants to continue his policy of recruiting youth by targeting that former France Under-20 ace.
It is not known if the south-coast outfit have submitted an offer but the player has been tipped to leave the Stade du Moustoir before the start of the new campaign. It would seem that the second tier of French football is too low for someone of Claude-Maurice’s talent and it is now a waiting game to see if Hasenhuttl can land his man.
