Southampton linked defender Max Johnston's comments mirror the feeling that he will join former Saints instead of arriving at St. Mary's.
At present, Kamaldeen Sulemana transfer is the eye-catching talking point for the weekend but there's one aspect almost every fan has forgotten to even pay attention. For that, let's revisit the case of former Saint Che Adams who ignored any approaches to stay in the Championship and instead worked his way to get a marquee transfer to mid-table Serie A club Torino.
Now, his pleasant adaptation campaign isn't the attractive part but the Italian top-flight seems intrigued by the Adams success story. So much, that multiple clubs there have begun shortlisting Southampton players for their squad upgrade.
Since the turn of the year, Genoa has snapped up flop Saints duo Maxwel Cornet and Albert Gronbaek. And Sulemana isn't saying no to Italy either.
Johnston's words dismiss his Southampton transfer speculations
But not every pattern is advantageous to Southampton because one of their first-choice targets may snub them for this Serie A adventure.
As quoted by Transfermarkt, ideal summer recruit Max Johnston lifted the lid on his Italian football dream saying: "Several Scottish boys have thrived abroad, especially in Italy and that definitely pushed me."
With this, Southampton's right-back plans have again taken a u-turn back to the drawing board. Yet, it's rarely surprising because the Saints fans already knew that swaying Johnston into one second-division campaign now wouldn't be possible without loaning him straightaway to a top-flight outfit.
And if a brisk Goztepe stint might have felt okay-ish on paper, Johnston has already put those ideas to bed with his lofty Serie A admiration.
Hence, it's wise to conclude that the 21-year-old is much more likely to meet ex-Southampton stars in the division instead of the Saints themselves. As of now, let's wait to find out the next rumoured defender who can fix the weak-link on the right side of the defence.