Rennes have decided to recall flop loanee Albert Gronbaek for their preseason plans.
Almost a month ago, Southampton teased their summer plans by listing some of their out-of-favour players. While the list included a mere two names, Albert Gronbaek and Bella-Kotchap, it gave an idea of the Saints' departure list.
Fast forward to now, these speculations only seem to be proving true. With Southampton bringing in a like-to-like profile as Bella-Kotchap in Joshua Quarshie, the former may be on his way out soon.
Intriguingly, similar seems to be the case with his counterpart, Gronbaek too, who is certain to leave the Saints this summer.
Rennes willing to hand in Gronbaek a second chance
That's because, having already missed out on Southampton's recently published retention list, Gronbaek's former club, Rennes, feels on its way to recalling the winter loanee soon.
Despite it being a forgettable Saints loan for the versatile attacker, Rennes are ready to give Gronbaek a second chance in the upcoming preseason.
Recently, Ouest France(via EFL Analysis) confirmed Rennes' intent, suggesting that Gronbaek remains well in the club's plans, who are keen to have him back in the training camp.
Honestly, having been sidelined from the Saints' plans way before, this Gronbaek departure will hardly come as surprising to the fans. But, the excitement of Rennes for the player may surprise them.
That's because, while Gronbaek's potential has never been a doubt, this Saints spell has had his career trajectory stalled. And given that this has come on the back of an underwhelming Rennes spell, this definitely adds on the player to make the most of what's coming next.
Well, from Southampton's perspective, fans will have rare moments of the injury-ridden player looking back. Still, his standout display at Anfield remains a rare bright spot in an otherwise muted Saints loan spell.
Given his potential, Gronbaek may still be destined for success. The real question is whether he finally delivers at Rennes, or watches another chance pass him by.