Southampton to improve opening £12.7m bid for Serie A star

Southampton are reportedly poised to make an improved offer for Italian midfielder Stefano Sturaro.

The Premier League side, who were knocked out of the FA Cup on Saturday following their 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, have already had an opening £12.7m offer rejected for the Juventus ace this month.

The 22-year-old, who is a former Italy Under-21 international, has scored one goal in 16 appearances in all competitions for the defending Serie A champions this season.

Sturaro; who is also interesting English top-flight rivals Crystal Palace, is seen as the ideal replacement by Saints boss Ronald Koeman for fellow midfielder Victor Wanyama, should he lose the Kenya international to Arsenal during the January transfer window.