Liverpool and Newcastle United join Celtic in Southampton player race | OneFootball

Premier League duo Liverpool and Newcastle United have both taken an interest in Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, according to the Daily Mail.

The Englishman has attracted plenty of interest in the past 12 months, with the player also being linked with a switch away from St Mary's last summer.

And with the player spending much of the season out of the matchday squad altogether, with Gavin Bazunu and Joe Lumley previously ahead of him in the pecking order, he looked almost certain to leave the south-coast side at the end of the campaign.

That's when his contract ends, but his future is now uncertain after he managed to break into the starting lineup, with Bazunu's major injury setback giving him the opportunity to shine.

Preferred as a starting option to Joe Lumley, he did enough during the first leg of the play-off semis against West Bromwich Albion to justify keeping his place in the first 11 for the second leg and potentially beyond.

Bazunu's injury will keep him out until 2025 and with this in mind, the play-offs are an opportunity for him to prove to Russell Martin why he should be heavily involved during the first half of the 2024/25 campaign until the Republic of Ireland international returns to action.

Interest mounting in Southampton's Alex McCarthy

Joe Hart is set to retire and with this in mind, it's perhaps no surprise that Scottish Premiership outfit Celtic have taken an interest in McCarthy.

Whether the latter would start regularly in Glasgow is unclear, but the stopper could have the opportunity to temporarily move away from England by joining the Scottish outfit.

A return to the Premier League could also be on the horizon for the former England international, regardless of whether the Saints are promoted at the end of the season or not.

This is because Liverpool and Newcastle are both believed to be interested in the player, with both sides currently having a decent amount of quality in their goalkeeping department but potentially needing to line up McCarthy as a potential replacement for someone else.

Saudi clubs are also reported to be keen on him.

Southampton need to weigh up Alex McCarthy's future carefully

There may be a decent amount of interest in McCarthy at the moment, but the Saints can't be rushed into a decision.

There are different factors that need to be considered before deciding whether to hand the experienced keeper a new deal.

Firstly, what division they are in may have an impact on whether McCarthy needs to be retained or not, with the Saints likely to have more funds to address this area if they are promoted.

Martin also needs to assess the player's time between the sticks before judging whether he's still a valuable player to have on the pitch.

If he can step up well in the second leg and potentially the final, he will fully deserve a new contract, so it will be interesting to see how the player performs in the next game or two.