Southampton have learned the asking price for both Lucas Cepeda and Willem Geubbels but a significant transfer fee difference may not be enough to make an immediate call.
While proceeding with transfer activities, there are two ideal advices which every English club attempts to follow. Firstly, assembling a position-wise transfer shortlist by scouting potential talents from multiple divisions.
The second one is mostly limited to non-Premier League clubs because it's about keeping the outgoing and incoming transfer health in check. Simply put, recruiting players from the transfer fees cushion gained by offloading first team players.
Now, every Southampton fan will accept that the first recommendation is ticked but will honestly, draw the line on the second one.
Fair enough, because bolstering key areas like adding new strikers requires sizeable upfront capital which isn't available in abundance at St. Mary's. Partly due to these limitations, Southampton aren't progressing further in the Lucas Cepeda transfer.
Geubbels more experienced but less internationally proven than Cepeda
The rest is his scoring numbers which makes for grim reading when compared alongside the likes of fellow transfer target Willem Geubbels.
In the best case scenario, this factor should have been enough for Southampton to decline Cepeda in favour of Geubbels but the reality isn't this sweet. According to a report from Foot Mercato (via EFL Analysis), an £8.5m price-tag lies near Geubbels name which nearly exceeds Cepeda's asking price by £3.5m.
This paycheck is in itself enough to spend or fund at least a portion to secure another preferred player. Hence, Southampton knows that wise spending is the need of the hour whether they go all-out for Geubbels, who has already navigated the early highs and lows in the playing career which other talented wonderkids often experience the hard way.
On top of that, Geubbels has also been an occasional presence in France's youth squads previously which rising Saints star Joachim Kayi Sanda is also a part of.
Or, do they bank on Cepeda's initial international exploits? Hoping his playmaking calibre would be on full display at Southampton from the get-go.
Maybe, that final preference could also rest on the timing of Kamaldeen Sulemana's departure, let's see.