the attacker finished top scorer in Ligue 2 with Metz last season and may be on his way to the Premier League with Burnley.
Some names are more recognizable than others as Burnley continues to be connected with a striker ahead of their first season back in the Premier League.
Burnley fans are buzzing about El Bilal Toure after he shone for Almeria last season, while Viktor Gyokeres, who has dominated the Championship, needs no introduction.
According to the Daily Mail, Vincent Kompany may also be considering Metz attacker Georges Mikautadze as a potential replacement.
Despite not having a very well-known name, Mikautadze is one of the brightest prospects in European football after leading the league with 23 goals in Ligue 2 last year.
The 22-year-old follows Olivier Giroud in topping the scoring records in the French second division; Giroud accomplished this feat with Tours in 2009–10 while the latter was two years Mikautadze’s senior.
Giroud joined Montpellier right away, where he continued his strong play to lead the team to an improbable title victory, before having successful stints with Arsenal, Chelsea, and current club Milan.
It may well be that Mikautadze is on his own path to the very top, and those who have watched the Georgia international close up certainly seem to think so.
Football author Mohamed Mohamed has described Mikautadze as having a “unique skill set” and the “potential to become the next Ligue 2 starlet who performs well in a big five league.”
Burnley may well prove to be a good stepping stone for the Lyon-born attacker, especially as Clarets boss Kompany has previously made his interest in the player known.
While the manager said last summer that Mikautadze was “probably out of our range”, that is not likely to be the case this window following promotion to the Premier League.
With a goal return of 0.68 per 90 minutes last season, as per FBref, Mikautadze undoubtedly has the pedigree to make an impact for Burnley. To put that figure in some context, Nathan Tella – Burnley’s top scorer last season – scored at a rate of 0.61 goals per 90 minutes.
Mikautadze is not letting the hype get to him, either, as he showed on Saturday when scoring a crucial goal for Georgia in their 2-1 Euro 2020 qualifying win in Cyprus.
With Tella back at parent club Southampton, and Ashley Barnes leaving to join Norwich City, Mikautadze can be an ideal upgrade on both. Indeed, Mikautadze also outperformed Tella last season in terms of assists (0.24 v 0.18) and shots on target per 90 minutes (3.06 v 2.60).
Potentially available for £8m this summer, according to Football Observatory, moving for Mikautadze seems a no-brainer for the Clarets if they are looking for a rising star ready to make his mark in a major league.
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Conflict between Burnley and Southampton as 23 year old information surfaces
The two clubs seemingly have a different valuation of the 23-year-old.
Speculation over the future of Southampton winger Nathan Tella has arisen once again.
Indeed, having shone on loan in the Championship for Burnley last season, the Premier League side have long been linked with a permanent swoop for the 23-year-old this summer.
However, nothing has been agreed yet, and now, it is being reported that the two clubs are at odds in terms of their valuation of Tella.
How much will Burnley pay for Nathan Tella?
That is stated in the most recent report on the subject provided by Alan Nixon via Patreon.
In fact, Nixon claims that the Saints are ready to offload Tella this summer but only for £15 million.
However, according to reports, Burnley presently values Tella at less than that sum.
Indeed, the Clarets are set to take a patient approach as such, and wait to see if any rival bidders get close to that figure before making their own move.
For now, then, things seem at odds, with no deal looking likely any time soon.
Nathan Tella stats
It is unsurprising that Southampton have placed such a significant price tag on Tella amid Burnley’s interest this summer, given how well he performed at Turf Moor last season.
Having joined the Clarets on a season-long loan last year, the winger went on to play a key role in the club’s promotion.
Indeed, Tella netted 19 goals in all competitions, as well as registering five assists in the Championship as the club were crowned league champions.
How long does Nathan Tella have left on his Southampton contract?
Southampton are in a decent position contract wise when it comes to Nathan Tella’s future.
Indeed, Tella is currently tied down to the south coast side until the summer of 2025, putting the Saints under no immediate pressure to sell.
This could, though, arguably, be the last summer they can get full value for the player if no new deal is signed, with his value likely to decline the closer his contract gets to its expiry.
What has Nathan Tella said about his Southampton future?
Whilst Nathan Tella would surely relish the chance to play in the Premier League with Burnley, the Southampton winger has also spoken about how he understands he is a Saints player.
Indeed, last month when asked about his future, Tella told BBC Radio Lancashire, via the Daily Echo: “I haven’t really thought about it, I know I’m contracted to Southampton so I’m looking forward to going back there and doing pre-season.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing my family and friends and going on holiday with them, that’s it. It’s a very good question, but one I don’t have the answer to right now.”
It will certainly be interesting to see if Burnley and the Saints get closer in terms of their valuation of Tella as the summer progresses.
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