Southampton could be set to lose one of their top first-team players, with a fresh report revealing that he is being targeted by a big admirer in January.
Southampton transfers 2023
Over the summer, Russell Martin’s side sanctioned the sales of 16 players in total, ten of those being either for a fee or on a free transfer on a permanent basis, whilst the remaining six were sent out on loan for the rest of the season as follows:
Permanent Departures | Loan Departures |
|---|---|
Romeo Lavia (Chelsea) | Armel Bella-Kotchap (PSV Eindhoven) |
Tino Livramento (Newcastle United) | Duje Caleta-Car (Lyon) |
James Ward-Prowse (West Ham United) | Paul Onuachu (Trabzonspor) |
Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen) | Romain Perraud (OGC Nice) |
Mohammed Salisu (AS Monaco) | Lyanco (Al-Gharafa SC) |
Moussa Djenepo (Standard Liege) | Mateusz Lis (Goztepe) |
Mislav Orsic (Trabzonspor) | |
Mohamed Elyounoussi (FC Copenhagen) | |
Dan Nlundulu (Bolton Wanderers) | |
Ibrahima Diallo (Al-Duhail SC) |
Despite the previous window having now closed, the south coast outfit might still be forced to cash in on some of their players in the new year should they not want to risk losing them for free at the end of the season, one of those being Che Adams, who has publicly refused to admit whether he’s thinking about signing a new contract or leaving.
Adams may not be the only one heading for the exit door though, with Carlos Alcaraz, the central midfielder who has only recently put pen to paper on an improved deal which runs until 2028 (Southampton contracts), having emerged as a target for a club in the Premier League.
Carlos Alcaraz transfer update
According to The Evening Standard, who have delivered a transfer update on Carlos Alcaraz, Fulham are considering a swoop for the 20-year-old in the Championship, but it remains to be seen whether they will make a move for him with other options also on the table.
“Fulham are likely to face competition for Guirassy, who joined Stuttgart in a permanent move from French side Rennes over the summer, from a host of bigger clubs.
“The Cottagers remain interested in several alternative forward options, with Genk’s Gift Orban, Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz and Sporting’s Geny Catamo among those also being tracked.”
How much did Southampton pay for Carlos Alcaraz?
When Alcaraz signed from Racing Club back in January, Southampton paid £12.3m for his services (Daily Mail), and during his time at the club so far, he’s shown huge glimpses of why he was worth every penny for Sport Republic to splash their cash on.
Argentina’s youth international has posted seven contributions, five goals and two assists, in 32 appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Alcaraz statistics), form which has seen him described as a “beautiful” footballer by journalist Josh Bunting.
In addition, Alcaraz currently ranks in the 99th percentile for shots by players in his position, which highlights his constant desire to hit the back of the net even if the end product isn’t always there (FBRef – Alcaraz statistics), so it’s vital that Saints chiefs do everything they can to fend off interest and keep their star in the building for the foreseeable future.
