3 Strikers who Southampton could target in January
By Evan Curnew
Noah Okafor – RB Salzburg
Current Team: Red Bull Salzburg
Age: 22
Nationality: Switzerland
Noah Okafor would be seen as a top option for Southampton FC should Salzburg be willing to sell him this January.
Okafor is an academy product of Swiss side FC Basel and moved to Salzburg in 2020. Okafor is a full Swiss international and made 3 appearances off the bench during the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Okafor has started 7 out of 14 matches this season in the Austrian Bundesliga notching an impressive 7 goals and picking up an assist along the way. He started all 6 Champions League Group Stage matches for RB Salzburg, scoring 3 goals including goals against AC Milan and Chelsea.
Why RB Salzburg may let Okafor go to Southampton FC
RB Salzburg finished 3rd in the UCL Group and has dropped down to the Round of 32 in the Europa League where they will face Serie A side, Roma.
Salzburg has a plethora of talent up front, notably Benjamin Sesko who was heavily linked to Manchester United before agreeing to join RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023. In addition to this, Salzburg has young center forwards like Junior Adamu, Roko Simic and Sekou Koita who are all integral parts of the Red Bull philosophy and may benefit from extra game time should Okafor leave. Brazilian striker Fernando is also at the club but remains out injured.
Losing Okafor may hurt Salzburg but they wouldn’t be in a bad position should he leave the club, making it more enticing should an attractive offer find itself on their table.
Noah Okafor’s current contract expires in 2024 and may give him an advantage in pursuing a Premier League opportunity should it become available.
Probable price: £20-25M