According to reports in England, Southampton are interested in signing Werder Bremen’s Dutch winger Eljero Elia in January.
- By Michael Bell
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The Mirror are reporting that Southampton boss Ronald Koeman is prepared to pay £4 million to bring Elia to the Premier League this January, and become his first Dutch signing since becoming their coach in the summer.
Werder Bremen are reportedly keen to take Elia off their wage bill in January, with the 27-year-old one of their highest earners, despite no longer being guaranteed of a place in the starting eleven.
Elia shone at ADO Den Haag and Twente before earning a move to Hamburg in 2009, where he made 47 appearances before joining Juventus on 2011. However Elia’s time in Turin was a nightmare, with the speedy winger making only five appearances in the one season he spent in Italy before returning to Germany with Werder Bremen.
Despite regaining some form for Werder Bremen over the past two years, Elia has not been able to earn a recall for the Dutch national team for whom he has 27 caps and two goals.
This season has been a disappointing one for Elia, who has only made nine appearances in the Bundesliga, and has not featured since the 23rd of November and a 2-0 defeat to Hamburg, despite his side rooted to the bottom of the table.
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