The Saints will still have to be sensible this summer but will have a lot more wiggle room in the transfer market after beating Leeds United in the play-off final last weekend. The infamous game is said to be worth anywhere between £135 million to £265 million, highlighting its importance to whichever team earns promotion.
Nevertheless, the last time that the club on the south coast were in the Premier League, their recruitment was surprising underwhelming. The likes of Paul Onuachu, Duje Caleta-Car and Kamaldeen Sulemana, among others, were brought to the St. Mary’s Stadium for substantial money and failed to make much of an impact.
Furthermore, Southampton were relegated from the Premier League and were left with a sizeable wage bill in the Championship, with many high-earners still on the books at the present day. The club’s recruitment will need to be more astute this summer to avoid a repetition of the 2022/23 campaign.
According to a report from BILD in Germany, via Sport Witness, the Saints are hoping to secure the signing of Werder Bremen star Leonardo Bittencourt. The outlet are claiming that Southampton have made an “attractive offer” for the German attacking midfielder in the hopes of luring him away from the Weserstadion.
Bittencourt has been with Werder Bremen for five years and even stayed with the club when they were relegated back in 2021. His current market value is £2.1 million, as per Transfermarkt, and the player is said to be ready for a new challenge.
This would be a rather peculiar signing for Southampton. Bittencourt seems like the perfect player to fit into Russell Martin’s system, particularly due to his ability to play in a variety of different positions, including as a number ’10’, on both flanks, as a centre-forward and as a central midfielder.
However, the German playmaker is now on the wrong side of 30, meaning he has little room to get any better. Additionally, Southampton primarily sign younger prospects with the idea of making profit in the future. Perhaps Bittencourt’s arrival would signal a change in tack from the recruitment department.
