After guiding Southampton back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, Russell Martin now looks set to be rewarded by the Saints higher ups with a slew of fresh faces.
Saints swoop for Premier League ready talents
The latest rumours out of St Mary’s have linked the Saints with a big money move for Celtic attacking midfielder Matt O’Riley. The Premier League new boys are set to submit a bid in the region of £20million for the Danish midfielder with future add-ons potentially taking this figure north of £25million.
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He could arrive in a free transfer this summer.
If O’Riley is to make the move to the South Coast, he will hopefully join a number of talents on their way to join Martin’s revolution this summer – Adam Lallana was the first action of Southampton’s window with the boyhood Saints fan returning to the club almost a decade after he left for Liverpool.
Whilst incomings will be the priority for Martin and Co, it appears that they are braced for a big outgoing this summer too. Star right back Kyle Walker-Peters has been linked with a number of top flight clubs, leaving the higher ups at St Mary’s scrambling to find a replacement.
Martin makes move for Walker-Peters replacement
As first reported on the X account of Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, Southampton have approached Bournemouth over the transfer of Max Aarons. The reporter claims that the Saints are looking at potential replacements for Walker-Peters if the right back is to depart this summer.
The 24-year-old featured 23 times in all competitions for the Cherries last season as Bournemouth finished 12th in the Premier League. Aarons only joined the South Coast outfit last summer in an undisclosed deal from Norwich City, understood at the time to be worth an initial £9million, with add-ons that could take it to £12million.
It was Aarons’ time with the Canaries that will make him a familiar face to Martin. The current Southampton manager lined up alongside the right back on six occasions when his Norwich career was in its twilight and the then teenager’s was only just beginning.
The defender’s displays at Carrow Road saw Aarons quickly rise to prominence as one of England’s most promising youth prospects. Across his 213 senior appearances for the Canaries, the 24-year-old often caught the eye of some of Europe’s elite, including a 2021 rumour linking Aarons with a move to German giants Bayern Munich.
Whilst the fee that Aarons would command is not yet known, the full back’s current weekly pay packet of £35,000 would likely have to be matched or bettered.
Even if the Saints’ interest in Aarons is genuine they may face a battle to tempt him away from the Vitality Stadium. Thomas’ Sky Sports colleague Mark McAdam has claimed that Bournemouth are reluctant to sell an important part of Andoni Iraola’s side.
Despite this, the potential for greater game time and a reunion with a former teammate may prove too tempting for Aarons, who could push for the move to happen this summer.
