Adkins eyes hijack mission

Southampton are set to battle it out with Fulham and QPR for the services of Vitesse Arnhem star Alexander Buttner this summer.

Dutch newspaper De Gelderlander claimed last week that Fulham boss Martin Jol was poised to make a £1.6million offer for the highly-rated 23-year-old, who has made over 100 appearances for Arnhem since coming through the youth academy in 2008. However, it has since been revealed that Fulham's London rivals QPR have joined the race to snap up the player, who is entering the final year of his contract at the GelreDome. Buttner has confirmed that he visited both clubs in the past week and was impressed with the set-ups at Craven Cottage and Loftus Road. "That was very impressive," he told Voetbal International. "Everything was arranged very professionally and the people were very warm. "The Premier League or the Bundesliga, both are fantastic leagues. At the moment I can't say more, I have to wait. "I still have one year left on my Vitesse deal, so a new club first has to agree on a transfer fee." However, as no deal has been agreed with either Fulham or QPR, it has resulted in speculation that Southampton boss Nigel Adkins will join the race for the left-sided player along with German outfit Werder Bremen.