Southampton reportedly set to land signing of former Arsenal prospect
SAINTS have reportedly agreed a deal to sign 19 year old defender Zach Awe, following his exit from Arsenal.
The Gunners will be due a compensation fee, due to the centre-back’s age, despite the youngster departing from the club this summer.
Awe joined Arsenal as an eight year old in May 2012 before penning his first professional contract with the club in February 2021.
Daily Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath reports that Southampton have beaten strong competition to sign the former Arsenal prospect, who is expected to compete for a first-team position.
Also comfortable playing as a defensive midfielder, the Greenwich-born defender first played under-23 football aged 16 and was named on the bench for Arsenal’s Premier League game at Wolves in February 2022.
Last season he made 27 appearances for their under-21 side across the Premier League 2 and EFL trophy as Arsenal finished seventh.
Should the deal be completed, Awe will join Shea Charles and Ryan Manning as summer signings for Russell Martin’s side.
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Southampton sends Roméo Lavia transfer warning to FSG after $47m Liverpool bid rejected
Liverpool is set to make a second offer for Roméo Lavia, but Southampton has sent a clear warning to the Reds as Chelsea retains an interest in the midfielder.
Liverpool is battling Chelsea for the signature of talented midfielder Roméo Lavia, who has caught the attention of both clubs following his impressive performances for Southampton.
However, potential suitors have been cautioned that acquiring the services of the young star will not come cheap. Although Southampton was relegated from the Premier League, Lavia’s standout displays have attracted interest from top-flight clubs, prompting a potential transfer battle between Liverpool and Chelsea (as per The Athletic).
While Southampton has only sold Mislav Oršić so far, more departures are expected from the club as they prepare for life in the Championship. Lavia and James Ward-Prowse are among the players likely to leave, but Southampton’s sporting director, Jason Wilcox, has issued a warning to interested parties.
He made it clear that any offers made will need to meet the Saints’ valuation with the club not willing to sell on the cheap. Wilcox said: “I think when a club makes an offer, very rarely is it their full and final offer. If we get the right offer — we will consider it. Consider is an important word because we don’t have to sell, we’ve got a lot of asset value and it’s about how we rebuild the squad.
“There will be players that start the season for us but leave later in the window and it’s real tricky for the manager and players to deal with, for their families and agents as well. When there is transparency and honesty you can work through it.
“Every Championship club that has been relegated from the Premier League has this transition. If a club wants to take our players on the cheap and we feel as though we’re losing then that’s not a win-win agreement — there has to be a compromise.
“There will be situations where we say to players ‘I’m really sorry but the value is not there, you’re going to be with us in the Championship and have to generate your Premier League value’.
“I’ve got an idea of what the squad may look like but I’ve done six versions of that. If you could see my laptop now you’d see six versions of how the squad may look.”
Lavia joined Southampton from Manchester City last summer. City have a buyback option to re-sign the midfielder but that only becomes active from 2024.
“I hope I can convince some people to stay who were 50-50 about it,” Southampton manager Russell Martin told BBC Radio Solent. “I think there will be some players who we can’t avoid [losing] who will be back in the Premier League.
“That’s the nature of the game and some of them will be far too attractive to Premier League teams and will want to go and play in the Premier League. You have to respect that.”
Liverpool’s opening bid for Lavia in the region of $47m (£37m/€43m) was rejected (as per The Athletic), but the club are optimistic of signing the youngster with personal terms having already been agreed.
