Southampton FC is apparently one of the clubs looking to make a late bid for Hadjuk Split’s highly rated defender, Branimir Mlacic.

That is according to a report from Dalmatinski Portal in the centre-back’s home Croatia, with clubs in England and Europe only a few days away from finalising their respective squads for the balance of the season.

Despite having some of the best resources in the Championship, Saints’ campaign has been extremely difficult, following a Premier League total of only 12 points previous season.

Will Still was initially offered a long-term deal to take over at the start of the season. However, he became the latest head coach to be fired by Sport Republic, the club’s troubled ownership group, on November 2nd, after only two wins in 13 league games.

Southampton appeared to have turned a corner under Tonda Eckert’s temporary management, but have since regressed again following the German’s full-time appointment as senior manager at St Mary’s, having previously led the club’s Under-21s setup.

In terms of overall developments, the Saints have had an intriguing transfer window, with the club initially signing sought-after goalkeeper Daniel Peretz on loan from Bayern Munich, before sending Gavin Bazunu to Stoke City on a short-term deal and eventually sanctioning Ronnie Edwards’ permanent departure to divisional rivals Queens Park Rangers.

Damion Downs and Ryan Fraser have already left the club, while Adam Armstrong and Cameron Archer remain a subject of conjecture.

However, in the last days of the transfer window, Southampton are apparently intent on striking a deal for the in-demand Mlacic, hoping to strike a significant coup in the process.

Southampton FC faces fierce competition in the transfer race for Hadjuk Split defender Branimir Mlacic.

According to Dalmatinski Portal, it is unknown where Mlacic will play in the near future, with the 18-year-old attracting a lot of transfer interest in the final stages of this winter window.

On January 22nd, it was claimed that Mlacic was part of a ‘confirmed’ agreement between Inter Milan and Hadjuk Split, with the Italian giants recently securing the services of another highly-rated centre-back, Leon Jakirovic, from the Croat club – the son of Hull City head coach, Sergej Jakirovic.

Inter was also said to have agreed a €5 million deal with Hadjuk Split to sign Mlacic after beating out FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, but they were also said to be satisfied with an agreement that could see the one-time Under-21s international return to the Stadion Poljud for the rest of the current season to further his development.

However, the aforementioned publication now claims that up to five teams have made approaches to capture Mlacic between now and the transfer deadline.

In addition to Inter Milan’s well-documented interest, Southampton, Roma, Udinese, and Club Brugge have all joined the transfer saga.

It has been reported that the offer filed by Saints and the four other European sides is similar to Inter’s initial offering, and that interest in the prospect is serious.

Mlacic is apparently contemplating his options, and his family and agents are claimed to be in frequent contact with the Hadjuk Split administration regarding those negotiations.

The centre-back has made 19 senior appearances for his hometown club and has two assists.

Southampton FC might achieve a big coup by beating Inter Milan to the Branimir Mlacic transfer deal.

It remains to be seen how this transfer race plays out, but there is no doubt that signing Mlacic may lead to a transfer coup for the Saints.

However, there are obvious concerns about the probable move.

Despite his high ranking, Mlacic is unlikely to quickly slot into Eckert’s starting lineup, given the Saints’ recent defensive troubles, and the rigours of the Championship are significantly different from the Croatian first division.

The Saints are also the only non-top-flight club interested in this bidding battle, whereas Inter, Roma, and Club Brugge can offer prospective European football experience in either the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Europa League now or, more likely, in the future.