Southampton to battle Coventry City and Preston for Aston Villa player | OneFootball

This news could well start a bidding war between the two clubs for the 22-year-old.

Southampton have joined Coventry City and Preston North End in the battle to buy Aston Villa youngster Kaine Kesler-Hayden this summer.

After a successful loan spell with Preston this season, it's clear that the Villa right-back is at least ready for a Championship move.

Birmingham World have reported that Unai Emery's side believe him to be an upper-end second tier performer or maybe even someone who can operate at the opposite end of the Premier League table to Villa.

In 44 appearances for the Lilywhites, Kesler-Hayden produced five combined goals and assists and won the club's Player of the Season award for the 2024/25 campaign in which they narrowly avoided relegation to League One.

Southampton to challenge Coventry & Preston in Kesler-Hayden race

Preston are said to be keen on bringing him back to Deepdale, but they will now face competition from two league rivals who both want to sign the defender this summer.

It was reported on Sunday that Coventry are ready to submit a £5 million-plus offer to Villa, who are at risk of breaching profit and sustainability rules, for Kesler-Hayden. Now the managerless Saints have jumped in on the act, according to Birmingham World, however they aren't reported to be as prepared to make an instant move for the player.

Alan Nixon has said that Kesler-Hayden will be sold this summer in order to free up squad space and so that Villa can financially benefit from their academy product, who, if sold this summer, will count as pure profit towards their balance sheet, on which they can only hold up to £105 million in losses over a three-year period.

Southampton are set to lose star right-back Kyle Walker-Peters this summer. Fulham and West Ham United are said to be interested in him.

It has also been reported that the Saints are in advanced talks to appoint Will Still as their new boss, a move which should then allow them to act on their proposed summer plans, of which signing the 22-year-old appears to be a part of.

Kesler-Hayden may be unconvinced by current Southampton uncertainty

It certainly appears that the Saints are moving in the right direction with their managerial search, six weeks on from when they sacked Ivan Juric, but the situation at the CBS Arena is much more stable.

Frank Lampard, a legend of the game, has proven himself to be a strong Championship manager this season. Coventry are probably going to challenge for promotion again. While that second statement will probably be true for Southampton as well, the vibes around St Mary's aren't as good as Kesler-Hayden's other potential options.

And, who knows, Still, if he is appointed, may not see the 22-year-old as the answer to filling the void left by Walker-Peters, although he can play on both flanks. It just feels like a much easier project for the Sky Blues to pitch than it does the Saints.