Southampton have reportedly been joined by Premier League rivals Watford in the race to sign Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong.
According to a report from the Sun, the Hornets saw their bid of £15m and a season-long loan for Andre Gray in return rejected.
Saints are said to have made two offers of their own for Armstrong, with the second being £10m plus unspecified players. However, their advances have also been dismissed as Blackburn hold out for a bigger fee.
According to the Sun’s report, Rovers want £25m if they are to let their star man go as 40% of any fee will be handed over to Newcastle due to a sell-on fee.
Southampton have fight on their hands to land main target
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The reason why Saints want to sign Armstrong is clear. He has grown into a talented Championship striker and netted 29 goals in an otherwise inconsistent team last season.
It is a real possibility that Danny Ings may move on this summer so Armstrong could be viewed as a similar sort of player to potentially come in as a replacement.
However, it does seem that the club want Armstrong and Ings to be teammates and this could give a strong look to their forward line if they can strike a deal with Blackburn.
The fact that Watford look to have made an offer now though could be concerning. It seemed as though it could be just a matter of time and a case of a few ironed out details for Saints to get their man, but now it may not be plain sailing.
Things could get complicated from now but surely Saints will not be able to afford an offer of £25m because of other moves that they need to complete too.
Blackburn are well within their right to charge the right fee for them. The Newcastle sell-on clause only adds to this, but it may just be a matter of biding time for Saints if they still feel they are frontrunners.