Southampton are not willing to budge on their £10 million price tag for Paul Onuachu, according to reports, who has spent the season on loan in Turkey with Trabzonspor.
Onuachu was one of the Saints’ final signings in the Premier League, tasked with coming in and saving the club from a sure relegation to the Championship under then-manager Nathan Jones. However, the Nigerian frontman failed to find his form in English football.
During his time in Belgium, Onuachu was one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe, bagging 85 goals and recording 10 assists in 135 appearances for Genk across a three-and-a-half-year spell. This includes a 35-goal campaign during the 2020/21 season in which the Belgian side lost the league on a head-to-head record with Club Brugge.
Unfortunately, following an £18.6 million move to the Premier League in January 2023, Onuachu was unable to replicate his excellent goalscoring form, playing 12 times for Southampton in all competitions and failing to score a single goal.
Despite featuring for the Saints under Russell Martin as a substitute in a 3-1 defeat to Gillingham in the EFL Cup back in August, the Nigeria international was sent out on loan to Trabzonspor where he has scored nine goals and registered three assists in 18 appearances so far.
🔵🔴 Paul Onuachu, olağanüstü bir gol vuruşu ile Trabzonspor'a galibiyeti getirdi! #TrendyolSüperLig #TSvKNY pic.twitter.com/zE1biJFBIl
— beIN SPORTS Türkiye (@beINSPORTS_TR) November 10, 2023
The Real EFL reported back in November that the Turkish side are keen to make his loan stint permanent and had opened talks with the Championship promotion hopefuls. Now, a new report from Turkey has emerged regarding a stumbling block in the deal.
According to Fotospor, via Sport Witness, Southampton are unwilling to budge from their £10.2 million asking price for Onuachu, who still has two years remaining on his current deal at the St. Mary’s Stadium. This is problematic as Trabzonspor cannot go above £8.5 million.
Writer’s View
Right now, Southampton certainly don’t need to budge on their valuation of the player given he still has over two years left on his contract. However, this could all change if the club fail to earn promotion back to the Premier League which could mean they are more willing to drop his price tag to secure a deal.
Nevertheless, if the Saints do return to the top-flight, Onuachu could be a solid asset for them. While he struggled to have an impact the first time around, it may just take him a little longer to get up to speed with English football. Selling a player for over £10 million less than he was signed for within 18 months is quite a difficult sales pitch for the club on the south coast at the moment.
Be the first to comment