Soccer

Southampton hopeful of signing former Juventus defender Caceres

Move is subject to Uruguay international gaining work permit

Martin Caceres in action for Juventus. The experienced defender has won domestic titles in Italy and Spain. Photograph: Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Tue Feb 7 2017 - 18:42

Southampton are hopeful of completing the signing of former Barcelona and Juventus defender Martin Caceres, currently a free agent, over the next few days. The 29-year-old is currently in Southampton for a medical, and the move is subject to the Uruguay international successfully gaining a work permit.

Caceres is currently without a club after leaving Juventus after a five-year spell in Serie A in June. He is expected to agree a short-term deal that would bolster Southampton’s immediate defensive options, with an EFL Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley later this month.

Virgil van Dijk, the Southampton captain, is sidelined through an ankle injury, and could be out until April, while the £8million sale of Jose Fonte to West Ham United has left manager Claude Puel short in defence.

Maya Yoshida and England under-21 defender Jack Stephens were paired at the back for Southampton's recent 3-1 defeat against West Ham.

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Transfer window

Southampton failed to replace Fonte in the January transfer window, and pulled out of a deal to sign Spartak Moscow defender

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Caceres’s last competitive match was last February for Juventus, and although short of match fitness, the defender boasts a wealth of experience, winning domestic titles in Italy and Spain.

The defender, who recently went on trial at Milan, was of interest to Sam Allardyce and Crystal Palace, but the London club opted to accelerate a move for Liverpool's Mamadou Sakho instead last month. Guardian News and Media 2017

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