Southampton close to signing World Cup semi-finalist, medical ongoing

Mislav Orsic is on his way to Southampton, per multiple reports.

According to Sky Sports News, Mislav Orsic’s medical is taking place at Southampton and his signing will be announced in the coming days.

Orsic is currently a player at Dinamo Zagreb in the Croatian top flight, where he has played since 2018. Before joining Zagreb, Orsic also had a 3-year spell in South Korea. Orsic has been one of the most important players in this era for Dinamo Zagreb notching 91 goals and 40 assists in 214 games for the Croatian giant.

Many will know Orsic for his rich history of performing well against London-based clubs. In 2021 he scored a hat-trick in the Round of 16 2nd Leg against Tottenham to send Zagreb through to the next round of the Europa League. In the 2021-22 Europa League group stage, Orsic scored a stunner at London Stadium against West Ham. In this year’s edition of the Champions League, Orsic scored the game-winner in a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the Group Stage.

The Athletic is reporting that the initial fee will be near £6m. Orsic’s current contract with Zagreb was not set to expire until 2026 but at the age of 30, Southampton was able to get a cut price on the winger.

How will he fit into the Southampton squad?

Mislav Orsic played a majority of his career at left-wing but on somewhat rare occasions has lined up at the centre-forward position. His direct competition depending on formation will likely be Samuel Edozie and Moi Elyounoussi. One of the biggest strengths of Orsic’s game is his ability to both score and create high-quality chances outside of the box. Orsic has a highlight reel worth of goals from outside the box and for a team that is begging for more creativity, Orsic makes a lot of sense.

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It remains to be seen whether or not Orsic will be eligible for Southampton’s FA Cup fixture on Saturday against Crystal Palace but the Croatian international’s move to the south coast is imminent.