Southampton reportedly reject swap deal with Premier League club

Southampton have reportedly rejected the offer of a swap deal involving Mario Lemina with fellow Premier League club Watford.

According to a report by Italian football outlet Calciomercato, the Pozzo family, who are owners of Watford and Udinese, are keen on Lemina and offered a swap deal that would have seen an unspecified Watford player moving the other way.

However, this looks to have been turned down by Saints – presumably because there would not be a player that Watford would be willing to hand over that would improve the squad at St Mary’s.

Watford’s promotion back to the Premier League means that they will be keen to hang onto their key players, but Saints will be wanting to get dead wood like Lemina off their own books and replace with quality that will push their own standards forward.

Southampton could use interest to their advantage

More from Saints Marching

• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 2: Arrivals
• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
• It’s time to talk about Gavin Bazunu
• Rain clouds on the horizon? Southampton beat Plymouth Argyle
• A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse

If the owners of Watford and Udinese remain keen on signing Lemina, Saints could try and push a transfer in the hope of securing some funds for their player.

Both clubs could potentially meet the £4m-£7m fee that Saints are said to want for the Gabon international if they wanted to. West Ham and Newcastle have also been reported as potential suitors.

It was a lively 2020/21 season on loan with Fulham that saw Lemina’s stock rise again. He became a key man in the Cottagers’ midfield as they strung together some strong results towards the end of the campaign but were ultimately relegated.

Fulham are unlikely to pursue a deal given their drop to the second-tier, meaning Saints will have to find interest elsewhere. Lemina’s contract at St Mary’s expires next summer and this could be used as a bargaining chip by other clubs though.

It is possible that Ralph Hasenhuttl will want to look at Lemina in pre-season but it looks like his future could lie away from Saints, meaning the initial £16m fee that was paid to sign him could be a costly one.