Further details emerge as Southampton target West Ham deal | OneFootball

Southampton are ready to pursue West Ham United's Flynn Downes again regardless of whether they are promoted to the Premier League on Sunday or not, as per a report from Give Me Sport.

The Saints are set to face their biggest game for a number of years on Sunday, with the club taking on Leeds United in the Championship play-off final.

The south-coast side were recently victorious against the Whites, claiming a victory at Elland Road on the final day of the regular league campaign.

But this weekend could be a completely different story for Russell Martin's side - and they will be desperate to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Promotion could allow them to retain some of their key players, including Kyle Walker-Peters, even though Che Adams looks to be on his way out of St Mary's when his contract expires this summer.

It could also enable them to have a higher transfer budget to play with, which would be a real boost for Martin, who will need all the resources he can get to keep the south-coast club in the top flight.

But they need to get there first before they think about any of this - and they won't face an easy task against Daniel Farke's side.

Further details emerge as Southampton target Flynn Downes

Give Me Sport believes the Saints are preparing to pursue another move for Downes this summer, regardless of whether they win against Leeds this weekend or not.

However, their boss Martin knows that they will be able to make a more tempting offer to the midfielder if they win promotion.

The Saints can offer Downes plenty of game time, like they have done during the 2023/24 season, but the player will surely want to be competing in the top flight, having moved away from Swansea City back in 2022 to test himself at the top level.

It's believed that the Irons will hold discussions with Downes in the days that following the play-off final - and a decision on his future is likely to be decided before the Premier League club returns for pre-season.

Southampton's sales could give them the license to sign Flynn Downes

The Saints sold a number of players last year.

Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento, James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Tella were all sold for big fees.

Mohammed Salisu and Mislav Orsic were also sold - and it's clear to see that the Saints made a lot of money from some of these sales.

With this in mind, it wouldn't be a surprise if they are willing to fork out a decent amount to secure Downes permanently, especially with the board backing Martin last summer by recruiting Shea Charles and Ross Stewart.

Another loan deal could be preferable if the Saints stay down, but one thing that is certain is the fact they should be pursuing another move for the influential midfielder.