Reported Southampton transfer target given green light to leave club

New Bologna sporting director Marco Di Vaio has said reported Southampton transfer target Mattias Svanberg is due to leave the club in the summer transfer window.

The Swedish international’s contract with Bologna expires in June 2023, so the Serie A side are looking to cash in while they can.

There have been some mixed reports when it comes to the validity of the claims that Saints want to buy the 23-year-old midfielder.

Outlets like the Daily Mail reported that Southampton had submitted a £8.5m offer for Svanberg. However, talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook dismissed any claims that Saints were interested in the Swede.

According to Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, Bologna’s Serie A rivals Napoli are interested in securing Svanberg’s signature.

Either way, Di Vaio seems resigned to the fact Svanberg will not be signing a new contract and staying Bologna for the long term.

“His agent and we have different visions. The renewal seems impossible and we’ll try to sell him at the best conditions for us,” Di Vaio said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Svanberg was ever-present for Bologna in the season just past, only missed two Serie A games in that campaign, helping his team to a 13th-place finish.

He signed from Malmo in 2018 and already has 21 caps for the Sweden national team, and almost 200 senior games despite only being aged 23.