MAURICIO PELLEGRINO will step up his interests in signing Theo Walcott.
The Southampton boss has confirmed he would like to bring the Arsenal forward back to St Mary’s.
It would be a huge boost in morale for the Argentine manager, who came under more pressure from Saints fans yesterday – despite winning against Fulham.
Pellegrino can use some of the £75million his side received from Liverpool following the sale of Virgil van Dijk but admits he could struggle to convince Walcott to join his side.
He said: “I have been talking about him. He is a good player but I don’t know with the negotiations, with the market. I imagine that this type of player would have a lot of possibility. For us it’s not easy.
“Hopefully we can bring somebody that can help us be stronger. This is our target now. We know the market is difficult but we are working on that.”
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Arsenal will refuse to sell Walcott, 28, for anything less than £30m.
Sam Allardyce’s Everton and Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle are also said to be closely monitoring the situation of the England star.
It is believed Walcott’s £140,000-a-week wages could prove a stumbling block to any potential transfer.
Walcott has started a Premier League game for the Gunners since April and is open to a move during this transfer window to get his career back on track.
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Unlike many big names at the Emirates, he still has 18 months to run on his deal.
That is part of the reason Arsenal chiefs are holding out for a fee similar to the £35m they received for the sale Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool last summer.
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