Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero announced on Monday evening that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season and this news could affect Southampton hugely.
A report from the Athletic recently suggested that Danny Ings was on City’s list of striker targets ahead of this summer’s transfer window and that he is an options should they not be able to sign the likes of Erling Haaland, Romelu Lukaku, Kylian Mbappe or even Lionel Messi.
Speaking to David Ornstein back in February, the Athletic’s Manchester City correspondent Sam Lee confirmed that City have an A list – containing Haaland, Lukaku etc – and a B list of players who may not be household names in comparison but could also be mightily affective.
Saints will be wanting a resolution to their Danny Ings situation as soon as possible but it appears that things may roll on into the summer.
Another transfer saga upcoming for Southampton
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The most important thing for Saints to do is not give away ground on their side of this deal. They have the asset in this situation, Ings is still contracted to them for at least another year and they have made him an offer that will make him the highest-paid player at the club.
If they are forced to sell to a club like Manchester City this summer, they need to get an amount that is fair to them. For a striker who has proven himself as a top goalscorer in the Premier League over the past two seasons, £40m-£50m should not be unachievable.
In reality, this is also a small fee for a club with the financial backing that City have but would enable Saints to reinvest in a replacement and potential other signings too.
Fans can expect this situation to rumble on for a while and it could become similar to the Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg or Virgil van Dijk sagas. The club managed to get a good deal for both of those players and the same must happen again – even though all eventualities still remain open at this time and no concrete interest has been reported in Ings yet.
With Aguero leaving a n opand other teams actively looking for strikers though, it would be strange not to see more speculation arrive between now and the summer.