Bournemouth and Wolves in transfer battle for Southampton man

Che Adams could be heading for an immediate return to the Premier League with clubs interested in signing the Scotland international

Despite the mounting interest in their star players, there has not yet been a fire-sale at Southampton like there was initially perhaps expected.

New head coach Russell Martin still has the majority of players available from last season at his disposal, with just Ibrahima Diallo and Mislav Orsic departing on a permanent basis.

The likes of James Ward-Prowse, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Romeo Lavia and Tino Livramento remain on the books at St Mary’s Stadium, although all have clubs from either England or overseas looking into the possibility of signing them this summer.

Mohamed Salisu looks to be the next departure for around £15 million to Fulham, and he could end up being joined in the Premier League once again by Che Adams.

Adams was Southampton’s second top goalscorer in all competitions last season, hitting the back of the net 10 times, but just five of them came in the Premier League as the Saints slumped to relegation.

Since signing for the club in 2019 from Birmingham City for a fee of £15 million, Adams has scored 31 times in 145 appearances, but despite not hitting a double-figure goal record in a season in the Premier League he is still attracting interest at that level.

According to a report from Alan Nixon on Patreon, Premier League pair Wolves and AFC Bournemouth both have Adams on their transfer radars and are prepared to battle to bring him to their respective clubs.

What is Che Adams’ current situation with Southampton?

Adams signed a five-year contract when arriving at Southampton in 2019, and he’s not penned a new one since.

Therefore, it means his deal expires in less than 12 months time, and that could force the club into a decision to cash in on the Scotland international.

Nixon claims that Southampton will look for over £10 million still for Adams despite his contract situation and the interest from the top flight could perhaps create an auction.

It seems as though Adams will be in Martin’s plans though should a departure not go through as he came off the bench in their most recentl friendly outing this past weekend against Reading in a 4-2 victory.

Should Southampton cash in on Che Adams?

It’s more than likely that if Southampton do not sell Adams now then they will lose him for absolutely nothing next summer.

And with plenty of interest from Premier League clubs in his services, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Adams push for a move away and to ask the Southampton board to accept any reasonable offers.

Southampton would be able to cope in the interim if he departed before the 2023-24 season began, with Sekou Mara and Adam Armstrong both options up-front and there would no doubt be a striker signing if Adams was sold.

There would have been an expectation that Adams would have gotten at least one season in the Premier League for the Saints where he scored double figures, so the fact that he didn’t it a bit of a disappointment.

With younger and more promising forwards on the books though, expect anything over the £10 million mark or perhaps closer to the £15 million they spent in the first place to be accepted.