Would Atletico Madrid’s Luciano Vietto be the perfect addition to Southampton’s attacking options?

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According to reports from Sky Sports, late on Tuesday evening, Southampton have shown their interest in signing Atletico Madrid forward Luciano Vietto ahead of the new Premier League season.

Sources close to the news outlet have understood that the Saints are currently in talks with the Spanish outfit ahead of a move to England this summer, beating off interest from Italy’s Sampdoria.

The promising 23-year-old spent last year out on-loan at fellow Spanish side Sevilla, managing to make 21 appearances in La Liga – and four in the Champions League – finding the net seven times.

Would the Argentinian bolster Southampton’s options?

With Jay Rodriguez having already left St Mary’s Stadium for West Bromwich Albion, Shane Long finding consistency hard and Charlie Austin still returning from injury, there is no doubt a striker is needed.

If Southampton’s new boss Mauricio Pellegrino could manage to swoop and claim Vietto, whether permanently or on a season-long loan from Atletico, it could be one of the signings of the summer.

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At just 23 years of age, the young striker has the world at his feet. He has already experienced three seasons of regular first-team football in La Liga, from seasons spent at Villarreal, parent club Atletico Madrid and most recently Sevilla, while featuring regularly in the Champions League during this time.

It is little surprise that Atletico snapped him up a few years back, as his pace and movement in and around the opposition third is very impressive. He is able to keep possession well and remain composed.

Linking up nicely with the midfielders behind him, he also has the ability to hold onto the ball and allow wide runners to exploit gaps in the opposition defence, proving deadly both outside the area and in.

An added bonus for the Saints, other than his natural ability to find the back of the net no matter what team he has played for, is that he’s equally as competent with both feet – making him a double pronged threat.

Obviously in football there is no guarantee that a player can continue his goal-scoring record in completely different circumstances in an alien league, but in Vietto it is a gamble worth taking.