Southampton transfer state of play with many stars set for potential St. Mary’s exit

Southampton’s dismal relegation could have huge ramifications in the upcoming transfer window with a host of stars fielding interest

Southampton may well be one of the favourites to return to the Premier League under the guidance of new boss Russell Martin – but it won’t be an easy ride to get there

Norwich and Watford seemed to be much better equipped to go up than Burnley thanks to the duo keeping hold of talents such as Joao Pedro, Ismaila Sarr, Max Aarons and Teemu Pukki, but a lack of invigoration saw them both fall to the middle of the pack in the Championship.

Meanwhile, the Clarets lost a lot of their key players in what was a huge rebuild for Vincent Kompany to deal with – though they managed it superbly with additions that fired them to the league title.

The same could be said for Southampton this campaign.

Last season’s basement side in the top-flight are likely to lose a lot of their stars given interest from clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool, West Ham, Everton and more – though it’s who they lose and how they reinvest which will be key to their future. And with a whole host of stars said to be departing, The Daily Mail reports that there are plenty of saleable assets garnering interest from the top divisions across the world.

What does the report state?

It isn’t just outgoings for Southampton, in an ever-so-small silver lining for Saints fans. The Daily Mail suggests that a move for Hamza Choudhury from fellow relegation side Leicester could have been on the cards after interest was registered in the summer, though a deal for the midfielder looks unlikely at this stage.

He spent last year on loan at Watford in a tumultuous campaign for the Hertfordshire side as they failed to secure promotion to the Premier League.

In terms of outgoings, the majority of Southampton’s defence seems to have picked up interest from across Europe’s elite. Armel Bella-Kotchap has interest from Monaco and unnamed Bundesliga clubs in what was a decent season for the German, as he will be looking to continue his development in some form of top-flight league across the continent.

Potentially following him to Germany is mountainous striker Paul Onuachu. After scoring 79 goals in just 114 games for Genk, he moved to the south coast to fulfil his Premier League dreams – though 11 games and zero goals later, his career appears to have regressed. Regardless, Onuachu has yielded interest from Bundesliga trio Augsburg, Stuttgart and Borussia Monchengladbach. The latter have lost Marcus Thuram to Inter Milan in recent days, whilst Stuttgart lost Sasa Kalajdzic to Wolves last summer – and they could seek a replacement for goal-shy Luca Pfeiffer with the Nigerian 6ft 7in target man in their sights.

 

Elsewhere, Tino Livramento also apparently has offers from Newcastle and Chelsea, with the latter being where he started his career. However, a stay at Southampton could be on the cards as he wishes to play beyond the summer – and he would likely fall foul to Kieran Trippier and Reece James’ talents, leaving any potential first-team avenue closed.

Kyle Walker-Peters also expects to leave St. Mary’s, where he could join Everton after previous interest from Goodison Park emerged throughout last season, though the Toffees are reportedly cash-strapped and in the hunt for Ashley Young.