According to reports on Croatian website Sportske Novosti, Aston Villa are among the clubs targeting a January move for Viktoria Plzen striker Michael Krmencik, who would cost a minimum of €3m (approximately £2.7m).

Villa will be looking to sign a new attacker in the New Year following injury setbacks for Jonathan Kodjia and Scott Hogan, with Dinamo Zagreb and Championship rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers also linked with the prolific Czech Republic international according to Sportske Novosti.

Meanwhile, under pressure Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino may also be looking to strengthen his goal-shy attack in January with his team scoring just nine goals in their 12 Premier League matches so far this term, which has left them in 14th position in the Premier League table.

A centre-forward may well be top of the Argentine’s list with Charlie Austin seemingly out of favour and Shane Long enduring a long goal drought, and bringing Krmencik to St Mary’s could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Southampton should hijack Villa’s bid to sign the Czech striker…

Goals

Southampton need goals if they are to keep themselves out of and away from the relegation zone this season, and the signs are that Krmencik would bring those with him to St Mary’s if he joined the south coast outfit during the January transfer window.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a successful 2017 for club and country and as well as scoring 14 goals and providing a further seven assists for Plzen so far this term – including three goals in the Europa League – he also has six in 11 caps for the Czech Republic.

Striker attributes

While Mauricio Pellegrino’s preferred formation is the 4-2-3-1 system, the Argentine doesn’t seem to have found the right striker to play the lone role up top.

Manolo Gabbiadini is better on the ground than in the air, Charlie Austin isn’t nimble and Shane Long’s record in front of goal is simply not good enough.

Saints enjoyed the majority of their success in the Premier League in recent years when they had Rickie Lambert and Graziano Pelle in the team, and Krmencik has all of the attributes to follow in their footsteps.

The 6ft 3in centre-forward is strong in the air from crosses and has a competitive edge – meaning he is perfectly suited to the English game – but he is also agile and has some speed and skill too.

Price tag

Krmencik’s Viktoria Plzen contract is due to expire next summer and with no sign that the 24-year-old will extend his stay with the Czech side, he could be available for a cut-price fee during the January transfer window.

Sportske Novosti has suggested that he could be bought for a minimum of £2.7m, and that is certainly an affordable price tag for Southampton in the New Year.

It can be difficult to get good value for money in the winter window, and Saints may prefer to pick up someone like Krmencik rather than paying over the odds for another striker.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.