HE HAS become the heartthrob of Southampton.

Since his £8.8 million signing for Saints, Graziano Pellè has stolen the hearts of people across the city and quickly become the team’s poster boy and a female fans’ favourite.

However, how long the Italian stallion’s love affair with the city would last was open to question after fresh speculation that could be lured away from the Southampton club with a multi-million-pound deal from a club in his home country.

Pellè has caught the attention of Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri after a successful season scoring nine goals in 17 games for Saints.

But alongside goals, sports branding experts say Pellè’s looks and popularity beyond football would make him a significant loss commercially if he were to leave.

So it was with some relief to the club and Pellè’s legion of female fans that the man himself quashed the rumours by revealing he was happy in England, as reported by the Daily Echo this week.

Pellè was Saints manager Ronald Koeman’s first signing after taking charge at St Mary’s at the start of last season, coming from the Dutchman’s old club Feyenoord and Koeman has labelled him “one of the best strikers in the Premier League”.

The 30-year-old has become a virtually permanent fixture in the side, scoring six goals in his first eight games and finishing the season as the club’s top scorer.

He has also earned himself call-ups to his national side.

Thousands of fans now sport his name on their shirts while his distinctive haircut sparked a legion of fans to head down to their local barbers to replicate it.

But he is also adored by women across the city for his matinee-idol good looks.

Although nothing has been confirmed about the move, it’s guaranteed that Pellè, who has 109,200 followers on twitter, would leave hundreds of broken hearts behind if he goes.

Pellè’s appeal is clear to supporter Patsy Miller who said his looks had “the wow factor”.

The 42-year-old, of Millbrook, said: “He’s gorgeous isn’t he? You can see he takes care of himself.

“I think a lot of female fans will be disappointed if he does leave, obviously one for his professionalism on the pitch – the way he plays – and the fact that he’s fit.”

Fans were quick to start their swooning obsession with Pellè and their love for him increased after he confessed to the Daily Echo in an interview that he is a romantic.

He constantly showers his stunning Hungarian model girlfriend Viktória Varga with love and posts it on his social media accounts.

And despite driving a Ferrari and a Bentley and claiming he is better looking that Real Madrid pin-up Cristiano Ronaldo, he revealed his sensitivity.

Although an imposing 6ft 4in, he has previously revealed that he is moved to tears by films and the memory of a myna bird he once kept as a pet. He loves Oscar Wilde and is a former dancing champion.

He even admitted in his book Pellè spreekt: 1,000 questions and more, published in Holland, that his first kiss was on his 12th birthday with a girl called Lara and he recalls losing his virginity aged 17 with a Moroccan girl whose phone number he still remembers off by heart.

Chris South, from sports and entertainment marketing agency Pitch, said Saints would be “desperate” to hold on to a player whose looks and personality appealed outside of the sports pages as to lose him would be “a big blow commercially”.

He said potential commercial partners thinking of investing would look at the club’s assets and Pellè who “transcends” the sports pages would obviously appeal.

“Players like that are few and far between,” he said.

“Someone like David Beckham or Cristiano Ronaldo – they have got that X factor.

“From a club point of view he’s probably the only player who has that sort of appeal.”

He said Pellè’s place in the Italian side was also key because his rising profile back home helped to promote the club on a global scale.

“Commercial revenues are a huge part of a club,” he added.