Southampton were considering making an offer for Celtic defender Josip Juranovic before Union Berlin had a £10m bid accepted, according to The Athletic.

The website claims that the Saints included the Croatian international on a “shortlist” of two possible targets, along with Luton Town’s James Bree, as they weighed up potential right-back options. It is believed that the Premier League side were hoping to sign one of the two players for between £4m to £6m.

A whole host of teams across Europe had been linked with Juranovic, including Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Roma and Torino, but it looks as though Union Berlin have won the race for the fullback’s signature.

It is believed that the Bundesliga side will pay an initial £7.5m for the 27-year-old, with an additional £2.5m in add-ons. He has already been given permission by Celtic to travel to Germany in order to complete the transfer.