Southampton: World Cup goal-scorer 'could be good fit' at St Mary's | OneFootball

Southampton are a club that could ‘potentially be a good fit’ for Toulouse’s Zakaria Aboukhlal, according to journalist Jonathan Johnson.

The forward is currently competing at the World Cup with national side Morocco, a tournament in which he can display his abilities to manager Nathan Jones ahead of a potential switch to St Mary’s Stadium.

Southampton Transfer News – Zakaria Aboukhlal

According to Football Insider, both Southampton and Leicester City were tracking Aboukhlal at the end of October, and they will have continued to watch him closely in Qatar, with the Saints wanting a young replacement for Theo Walcott.

The versatile forward, who is able to play across the front three, may have drawn even more attention to himself with his performance for Morocco, most recently scoring in his side’s shock 2-0 victory over Belgium.

As per SofaScore, the 22-year-old was only brought on in the 73rd minute of the game, replacing Sofiane Boufal, but he had a brilliant impact on the match, scoring in stoppage time to send his team to the brink of qualification from Group F.

What has Johnson said about Aboukhlal?

Johnson outlines Southampton as a potential destination for the man whose contract does not expire with Toulouse until 2026, as per Transfermarkt.

However, with that in mind, and taking into account the fact that he is yet to prove himself over a long timescale, Johnson claims that a deal may not be done any time soon, telling GIVEMESPORT: “I think a team like Southampton could potentially be a good fit because they also have a similar outlook in the way that they’re identifying their transfer targets, but I don’t think he’d be on the move this quickly, certainly not in terms of a January move.

“I think as well, Premier League clubs will probably want to see a little more consistency from him in terms of goal return, but it’s been a decent start to life with Toulouse so far.“

Aboukhlal’s stats for Morocco at the World Cup

The 14-time international, as per Transfermarkt, did not feature in his country’s opening game against Croatia, but his performance in a short cameo against FIFA‘s second-highest ranked side, Belgium, will give manager Walid Regragui a decision to make going into the crucial final group match, against Canada.

According to SofaScore, Aboukhlal registered one successful tackle and won his only ground duel to contribute towards a 7.4 match rating, the highest received by any of Morocco’s five substitutes, in what was a vital win for the African side.

His crowning moment, however, was his 93rd-minute strike to wrap up the three points, firing a right-footed effort into the roof of the net, beating goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for sheer power.

Such a display against one of the world’s best sides will have certainly caught the eye of Jones, who appears likely to continue to watch him for the duration of the tournament.