23.12.2014 17:12 h

Saints line up Dutch winger Elia

Werder Bremen's Dutch winger Eljero Elia is close to signing a loan deal with Southampton, the English Premier League club's manager Ronald Koeman confirmed on Tuesday.

Southampton have been left short of attacking options with Jay Rodriguez's recovery from a cruciate ligament injury taking longer than expected and Senegal's Sadio Mane due to leave for the African Nations Cup next month.

Elia, who has played 28 times for Holland, is seen as the perfect man to bolster Koeman's front three.

"He is one of the players on our list to bring in in January - it's still not done but yes, I am interested in the player," Koeman said.

"We need at least one more player up front because we lose Sadio Mane in January for the Africa Cup. We need another player for that position and he is a good option."

Elia, who is known for his blistering pace and direct forward runs, established himself as one of the brightest young talents in Europe at FC Twente and was named Dutch Football Talent of the Year in 2009.

The 27-year-old struggled to fulfil his early promise during subsequent moves to Hamburg and Juventus but has enjoyed more stability at Bremen, where he made 33 league appearances last season.