With Club Brugge's UCL hero Chemsdine Talbi closing on a Sunderland move, the Belgian side is expected to intensify their Samuel Edozie pursuit.
Yesterday, Saints fans heard of Samuel Edozie's rumour, and unsurprisingly, their transfer anxiety has been up since then. After all, on the side that needs names to support the new signing Damion Downs, Edozie is an exciting must-have to help the attacking ranks.
Still, having seen Manor Solomon's case, the supporters deep down know it will be difficult to restrict Edozie from continuing in his well-known Belgian surroundings.
But, as if the odds against Southampton's transfer stance weren't already high, a new update has made Edozie to Club Brugge even more likely.
That's because of Sky Sports' follow-up on Club Brugge's recent transfer activities that have seen them close to offloading Chemsdine Talbi to Sunderland. And shall they depart a winger in Talbi, their interest in bringing in Edozie automatically enhances.
Talbi's UCL performance comes to influence Edozie's Saints exit
Honestly, seeing Sunderland inflict them another transfer pain would surely irk Saints fans, but the fact that this is all happening due to a Champions League performance would frustrate them even more.
In case you don't know, Sunderland's interest in Talbi stems from his mesmerising performance against Atalanta in the UCL playoff knockout phase. Already up 2-1 from the first leg, Chemsdine Talbi delivered a MOTM-winning brace within the first half an hour to seal a Round of 16 spot for Atalanta.
Now, back then, hardly any Southampton fan would've taken the performance seriously, but as has been their transfer history, the club feels losing due to the UCL tag again.
What's further intriguing? If Talbi's past UCL performance wasn't impacting the Saints enough, the European competition can hurt them in Edozie's exit even more.
With Club Brugge in contention for a Champions League spot, Edozie will be naturally drawn to the idea of exposing himself to the highest level of European football, which is impossible if he stays with Southampton.
Overall, while negotiations are far from agreement, Southampton feels helpless to surrender and accept defeat in Edozie's Club Brugge move. The question remains, what will be their response to their talented winger's departure?