Brentford considering January move for Carlos Alcaraz?

Brentford are reportedly interested in signing Southampton midfielder Carlos Alcaraz in the January window.

Southampton held off interest from the likes of Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton to sign Alcaraz from Racing Club in January.

After completing a £12m transfer, Alcaraz went on to score four goals and provide two assists in 18 Premier League appearances.

Despite contributing on the pitch, the youngster could not prevent Southampton from being relegated to the Championship.

Following the club's relegation, Alcaraz was the subject of transfer speculation, amid links with a possible move to AC Milan and Benfica.

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Palace also renewed their interest in the 20-year-old, but a summer departure ultimately failed to materialise.

Having remained with Russell Martin's side, Alcaraz has featured in nine of Southampton's 11 Championship matches this season.

According to the Evening Standard, Brentford are currently monitoring Alcaraz's progress in the second tier as they weigh up whether to launch a January move.

After signing for Southampton earlier this year, Alcaraz still has five years left to run on his contract, leaving the Saints in a strong position when it comes to negotiating a transfer.

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If the Championship club decide to listen to offers, the player's former side Racing Club would be entitled to 15% of any potential transfer fee.

Alcaraz predominately plays as a central midfielder, but he is also comfortable playing as an attacking midfielder or in the forward line.

The Argentine's versatility could be useful to Brentford boss Thomas Frank, who has seen his attacking options affected by injuries to Josh Dasilva, Mikkel Damsgaard and Kevin Schade.

Having impressed for his club side, Alcaraz was recently rewarded with his first international call-up for Argentina's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru.