Nice and Southampton lead race for Lorient winger | OneFootball

The race for Lorient winger Alexis Claude-Maurice just got a lot more interesting.

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Torino has now joined the crowded race for the 21-year-old, who lit up Ligue 2 last season with 14 goals and four assists in 35 matches.

Though Arsenal and West Ham have been vying for his signature, with the latter reportedly making a €12m bid back in June, the report states that Nice and Southampton are currently the front-runners.

This is the first time the Saints have been linked to the Ligue 2 starlet.

Earlier in the week, Lorient president Loic Fery confirmed that the club had received four offers for the France youth international.

“The club told him that he could leave this summer if everyone was satisfied,” Fery told Le Telegramme.

“Alexis will have the choice between continuing to progress here or to go to clubs who have an agreement with FC Lorient. We don’t have any agreements at the moment. We have received four offers.

“One offer from Germany which is six weeks old, well under the value of the player. Two English offers, including one that was not a permanent transfer, and one offer from France.

“We are still in discussions with two of these four clubs and there are as well other teams. The fact that multiple clubs are after him shows that he is a player of great quality, with a very big potential.”

Lorient kicked off their Ligue 2 campaign on Tuesday with a 3-0 win over Paris FC, with Claude-Maurice getting the start and providing the opening assist.