So the Brazilian has broken his silence, and he has done it in a way that will prick up ears well beyond the south coast.
Speaking in comments carried by Transfermarkt and flagged by @SaintsExtra, Léo Scienza framed his standout season as a reason to talk. "I still have a contract here and feel very comfortable in the club," he said. "At the same time, after the season, I feel that I have earned with my achievements that we sit down and talk about the future."
It is the clearest sign yet that the 27-year-old sees a brilliant campaign as leverage.
What he's really saying
Read it twice and the message sharpens. Scienza has not downed tools, nor has he taken a swing at the club.
But he has not committed either. "The situation in the summer has of course changed a lot, so there are topics to talk about," he said. "Basically, I am open to everything."
And then the line that matters most. "I have repeatedly emphasized that my big goal is the Premier League. I want to constantly develop myself and simply play football at the highest possible level."
That is a player politely telling everyone he fancies a move up. Not this week, not with a demand, but the ambition is on the record now.
Why Saints won't just wave him off
Here is the good news for supporters. Southampton value Scienza at around £35m, and they are not blinking.
Why would they? He was the heartbeat of last season's promotion push, with seven goals and ten assists in the Championship at a 7.36 average rating on his FotMob profile.
The dribbling is what makes fans purr. He completed 59 of them, more than anyone else in the division.
Aston Villa remain the live threat after Leeds cooled their interest upon signing Harry Wilson. Unai Emery wants wide men for his Champions League push, and Scienza keeps surfacing as an answer.
There's a catch, mind. At nearly 28, that £35m tag is a one-off windfall on a player close to his resale peak.
The case for cashing in
This is where it gets awkward for the purists. Saints Marching has argued more than once that selling Scienza would not wreck the season, pointing to the depth on that flank and the club's wider creative options.
Turning an £8m buy into £35m would be lovely business for a club counting its pennies. And the man himself has never hidden the itch, having branded the Spygate expulsion heartbreaking after it cost Saints their play-off place.
For now, though, Tonda Eckert wants him at Staplewood, and his contract runs until 2029. There is no gun to anyone's head.
Southampton open 2026/27 in the Championship on minus four points after Spygate. Keeping their best creator for the promotion fight makes sense, even with Villa hovering and the player himself talking about the future.
Verdict: 4/5. A brilliant Championship creator who lifts everyone around him, though at nearly 28, the resale ceiling nags. A £35m sale would represent great value for Southampton.
Likelihood: 3/5. No bid has landed and Saints hold firm at £35m, but the player putting his ambition on record nudges this above where it sat a week ago.
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