Southampton are plotting what the Daily Telegraph describe as an ‘audacious’ January move for Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon, according to a report on the newspaper’s website this evening.

Speculation surrounding Sessegnon, who signed a three-year contract in the summer, is by no means new with Tottenham and Manchester United heavily linked in the past few weeks. Both clubs have been rumoured to have prepared offers of around £25m for the England youth international, but Fulham have yet to receive any formal bids for their young starlet.

The Telegraph suggests that Mauricio Pellegrino is keen to invest a substantial amount of the £75m received for Virgil can Dijk into acquiring Sessegnon, although no fee is quoted in the piece. The newspaper points to the Saints’ strong record of bringing through domestic talent in recent years and raises the possibility of Matt Targett heading to Craven Cottage in exchange.

Sessegnon signed his first professional contract earlier this year having appreciated the way that Fulham head coach Slavisa Jokanovic, who recently professed confidence that he would have Sessegnon in his squad come February, had handled his emergence into senior football. The teenager’s first team opportunities at St. Mary’s would be limited by England international Ryan Bertrand at left back and several creative wingers in the first team squad.

Sessegnon has made 57 first-team appearances for Fulham, whom he first joined with twin brother Steven aged nine, since making his senior debut at Leyton Orient in the League Cup back in August. He has scored twelve goals, including a sensational hat-trick at Sheffield United last month and a well-taken goal at Cardiff City on Boxing Day.