Watford are in talks for Manchester City centre-back Max Alleyne, with Southampton set to procure their 20% sell-on fee for the 20-year-old if a permanent move happens.
It's been close to a month since Southampton made one of their big sales in Kamaldeen Sulemana. Well, having got rid of the flop while registering him as one of the club's record sales, Saints fans can hardly ask for more.
But as one scrolls down the record departures tally, they will find a sharp, eye-catching oddity there. Yes, it's Saints icon Gareth Bale present below Sulemana in the list.
Now, with transfer valuations having quite changed since Bale's 2007 exit until now, it might make sense to football fans. But for Saints fans, the Welsh icon's departure remains an unforgettable one beyond explanation.
That's because, apart from missing out on securing a big move from Bale's Tottenham move, Southampton traded an initially secured sell-on clause on Bale, not realising the then left-back's potential. Ultimately, the Saints couldn't do much except lament their actions when Bale made a gigantic transfer to Real Madrid later.
Well, it's been over a decade since this instance, too, and thankfully, Southampton seem to have learned from their past. Take, for instance, Max Alleyne's case, where the Saints remained firm in retaining a sell-on clause on him as they transferred the next big academy defender to a Big Six club in Man City in 2021.
Watford's Max Alleyne interest tipped to yield Saints a transfer windfall
As they say, Patience pays off, and now, the Saints seem to be inching closer to plucking the fruits of their patience, too. That's for Watford's recent interest in Max Alleyne, which may help Southampton in receiving a transfer windfall.
Recently, Sky Sports confirmed Watford's increasing desire for Alleyne, saying: "Watford are in talks to sign Manchester City centre-back Max Alleyne."
Now, agreed that Alleyne's transfer is tipped to be on a loan basis initially. But in case the Saints' hopes bear fruit and the defender stands up to the Championship demands, it shouldn't be long for Southampton to receive their share of Alleyne's transfer fee as he secures a permanent Watford move.
In recent history, if Southampton has succeeded the most at a thing, it has to be in player development loans. Hopefully, being an ex-Saint, Alleyne respects this transfer reputation, helping his former club receive its first sell-on clause transfer windfall in a long time.