A forgotten Southampton player may not play for the club again as whispers about a summer transfer heat up.
The status of Southampton’s summer business will be determined by whether they are promoted to the Premier League, but a few first-team stars appear to be on their way out.
Striker Che Adams has been a key piece of Russell Martin’s promotion puzzle this season, but he is out of contract in June, and Wolves are leading the battle to sign him.
Southampton also has a number of loan players, including Charly Alcaraz, Paul Onuachu, and Duje Caleta-Car, who could all be sold in the summer regardless of whether they reach the top division.
Caleta Car, in particular, is a forgotten figure at St Mary’s, having spent this season on loan with Lyon.
Duje Caleta-Car’s season in numbers at Lyon
Southampton have completed the £8 million acquisition of Croatian international Caleta-Car from Marseille, with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl hailing the “quality” he would offer to their brilliant set of centre-backs.
Unfortunately, the 27-year-old failed to live up to the hype, making only 13 Premier League games and receiving criticism for his poor performances on multiple occasions as a defensive partnership of Armel Bella-Kotchap and Jan Bednarek was favored over him.
Unsurprisingly, the Saints leased him away in the summer, and the Croatian, previously described as a “absolute monster” by journalist Josh Bunting, returned to Ligue 1 with Lyon.
He’s established himself as a fixture in the heart of their defence, appearing 17 times in the league and racking up some remarkable defensive stats such as seven clean sheets, 3.6 clearances, and 3.2 balls recovered per match.
Lyon may make the loan deal permanent in the summer, but while his future is uncertain, another European team has expressed interest.
Trabzonspor want to sign Duje Caleta-Car
Trabzonspor has recently established a strong connection with Southampton, signing Mislav Oršić and Paul Onuachu in the summer.
According to Haber 61, as supplied by Sport Witness, the Turkish team is hoping to capitalize on that relationship by stepping up their efforts to capture Caleta-Car from Southampton.
The source indicates that if Lyon decides not to sign the Croatian permanently, Trabzonspor would “intensify their negotiations” ahead of a possible summer move.
Although it remains to be seen whether he would be content with a move to Turkish coasts, Caleta-Car’s future is most likely away from St Mary’s unless a stunning U-turn is done.
