European club willing to re-sign Southampton flop in January

Under the recommendation of former manager Nathan Jones, Southampton decided to bring in-form Genk striker Paul Onuachu in a £18 million transfer move. Onuachu was coming on the back of four consecutive successful seasons at Belgian Pro League side Genk, and thus adding a prolific striker to resolve Southampton's goalscoring issues made Onuachu's signing a no-brainer at that time. However, Onuachu couldn't adapt to the pace and athleticism required in the Premier League and didn't manage to find the back of the net for the Saints.

Onuachu was sent out on loan at Turkish side Trabzonspor, where he returned to his best form and bagged fourteen goals in the Turkish league. A permanent transfer away from the St. Mary's Stadium was best for Onuachu as well as Southampton, but neither Trabzonspor nor newly promoted side Goztepe reached an agreement with Russell Martin's side on the transfer fee. Recently, manager Russell Martin re-integrated the 30-year-old centre forward in his first team plans amidst a lack of goals and a number of league defeats in the Premier League.

European club willing to re-sign Southampton flop in January

Further, Martin brought the Nigeria international as a second half substitute against Arsenal, where Onuachu gave a much encouraging cameo playing as the number nine. Despite that, a January exit can still be on the cards for Onuachu unless he replicates his prolific goalscoring form for Southampton in the next few months. According to Turkish Football, Onuachu's former side Trabzonspor is willing to bring the 30-year-old on a permanent transfer move in the January transfer window.

Trabzonspor's interest in re-signing Onuachu stems from their own goalscoring issues in the new season, as they have scored only seven goals in seven league matches. Despite being unbeaten, Trabzonspor are currently tenth in the Turkish league with one win and six draws, and have already been eliminated from the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League qualifiers. Hence, Senol Gunes's side view the 30-year-old star as a proven striker option and are willing to submit an official transfer offer to Southampton.

While Southampton also have their ongoing shortcomings in the attack, the Saints are highly likely to negotiate with Trabzonspor regarding Onuachu's departure. Now, it remains to be seen whether Onuachu departs the club midway through the 2024/25 season for a significant transfer fee in the upcoming January transfer window.