SOUTHAMPTON are closing in on a deal to sign Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car.
The Croatia international has entered the final year of his contract with the Ligue 1 club and is seen as a replacement for Jan Bednarek, who is on the brink of joining West Ham.
Caleta-Car has reportedly jetted to London ahead of a move to the Premier League.
The transfer of Bednarek to The Hammers will be a season long loan move as West Ham anticipate the departure of one of their own defenders.
Craig Dawson has fallen down the pecking order at the London Stadium after David Moyes sanctioned the arrival of two new central defenders.
Subsequently, Dawson has been the subject of interest from both Wolves and Aston Villa.
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And Dawson’s expected departure has sparked a transfer domino which will see West Ham bring in Bednarek and Southampton bring in Caleta-Car.
Caleta-Car, 25, played 26 times in Ligue 1 last season, keeping nine clean sheets in those games.
With him in the side Marseille also made it all the way to the Semi-Finals of the Europa Conference League, but he was benched for the second leg of the tie against Feyenoord.
Southampton have been busy revamping their defensive department this summer, with a new goalkeeper and a defender brought in.
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Gavin Bazunu and Armel Bella-Kotchap have both enjoyed impressive starts to the season, helping Southampton pick up an unlikely win against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea.
Southampton look set to be busy on deadline day, with a loan move for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, two transfers from Manchester City’s academy, a transfer for Cody Gakpo and a late move for Maxime Lacroix also reportedly in the works.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
