Southampton targeting Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham | OneFootball

Juventus successfully swooped in for Schalke midfielder Weston McKennie, so Southampton have been forced to go back on the market for a central midfielder.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg left Southampton for Tottenham earlier in the summer window and the Saints are now reportedly looking at Celtic star Olivier Ntcham to fill the hole left in their starting XI.

Southampton received a huge boost mid-week in their pursuit after Celtic crashed out of the Champions League, falling to Hungarian champions Ferencváros.

In addition, Celtic have finally announced the signing of long-term target David Turnbull, who many believe will be Ntcham’s natural replacement.

The Hoops reportedly want a fee of around £20m for the 24-year-old and will be seeking a large cash influx following their Champions League exit.

While Everton and West Ham are also said to be interested in Ntcham, it’s unclear how serious Southampton are in securing the France youth international.

Since Ntcham’s arrival from Manchester City in 2017, the player has been a fixture in Celtic’s starting XI, notching 23 goals and 12 assists in 128 appearances in all competitions.

Southampton and Celtic have been involved in a number of deals in recent years, with Fraser Forster, Mohamed Elyounoussi, Stuart Armstrong, Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama, and Jos Hooiveld all involved in transfers between the two clubs in the last decade.