The good news just keeps coming for Southampton.
Of course, it's unavoidable that Ross Stewart failing to agree a new contract is a body blow, but James Bree accepting a new deal until 2029 means that the general mood at St. Mary's continues to be one of happiness, rather than dread, about the coming Championship season.
Ideally, this summer would see Southampton keep Leo Scienza rooted on the South Coast, too, having already sent further shockwaves through the rest of the division by permanently signing both Daniel Peretz and Cyle Larin.
But, their grip on their standout South American winger remains loose, as he continues to be linked with a wave of clubs this off-season.
Scienza's future at Southampton
As early as April, reports were coming out stating that Southampton would be facing a losing battle to keep Scienza situated at St. Mary's past the unfurling Championship campaign.
Picking up a mightily impressive seven goals and ten assists from 37 appearances in the demanding second tier, the Brazilian's superb debut season on English shores hadn't gone unnoticed.
Indeed, the likes of Everton and Leeds United have been routinely linked with a move for the ex-Heidenheim hotshot, with a £25m price-tag surfacing for the 27-year-old's services, as per an alleged release clause in his deal.
Southampton won't have any qualms about giving him up for this amount if they have to, as they signed Scienza for only £8m, but they will be desperate to keep him around, as they gun for promotion all over again.
It all depends on whether Scienza aligns with the likes of Peretz and Larin and feels there's unfinished business with the Saints, as Spygate killed their promotion dreams suddenly, or whether he would much rather an instant leap into the top-flight with one of the interested parties.
He isn't just attracting suitors from the Premier League, though, as a shock new destination has now been named, with the race for the slick number 13 heating up.
Shock new destination tipped for Scienza
Playing for the likes of Brazilian side Chapecoense during his youth career, Scienza has never lined up for a team from his country of origin during his senior playing days.
That could soon change, according to new transfer rumours, with journalist Marco Mampreso coming out to state that both Palmeiras and Flamengo are keen on gifting the 5-foot-9 attacker a route back to his homeland.
Palmeiras have even gone as far as to submit an official offer for the £25m-rated forward, according to Mampreso, while Leonardo Jardim's men remain firmly in the race, as they monitor Scienza's ongoing situation.
It will be up to Scienza who he wants to move to, if he decides to call time on his Saints journey after one red-hot season, with a move back to home soil potentially tempting, as both Palmeiras and Flamengo are formidable teams in the landscape of South America.
Yet, if a Premier League team were to make a concrete move, like the Green and White have allegedly done, it would surely be a no-brainer, which league Scienza would prefer to call home, as the English top-flight would offer him a much more competitive and testing division.
Southampton fans, if they had their say, would likely elect for Scienza to jet off to Brazil instead, as the heartbreak of him doing well in the Premier League, while they remain in the Championship, would be a real sickener.
At the end of the day, it's entirely up to the breakout 27-year-old, as the intense race for his services continues to rumble on.
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