Russell Martin provides update on Ross Stewart pursuit and Che Adams' Southampton future | OneFootball

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Southampton manager Russell Martin remained coy on the prospect of signing Sunderland striker Ross Stewart before the end of the transfer window.

Stewart has one year remaining on his contract at the Stadium of Light and despite ongoing talks in recent months over a new deal, he is yet to put pen-to-paper on an extension.

That has led to speculation that the Black Cats could cash in on Stewart this summer to avoid losing him for free next year, with Southampton, Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Luton Town and Rangers all said to be keen.

It had seemed that Stewart would be remaining on Wearside, but according to The Northern Echo, Southampton are "increasingly confident" of agreeing a deal for the Scotsman ahead of Friday's transfer deadline, with journalist Alex Crook claiming the Saints have made an offer of more than £6 million.

Stewart joined Sunderland from Ross County in January 2021 and he scored 26 goals in 53 games in all competitions to help the club to promotion from League One in the 2021-22 season.

He seamlessly made the step up to the Championship last season and despite missing large portions of the campaign through injury, he scored an impressive 11 goals and registered three assists in 15 appearances in all competitions.

What did Russell Martin say about Southampton's pursuit of Ross Stewart?

Martin remained tight-lipped about the Saints' interest in Stewart, but he did reveal he tried to sign the striker previously during his time in charge of MK Dons.

"I really like Ross, I tried to sign him at MK Dons," Martin said, quoted via the Sunderland Echo.

"I really liked him then and he's go on to do brilliantly at Sunderland.

"He's been out for a while. We're going to be linked with so many players. Some of those are so far away that we haven't even discussed, and some of them are really close to the mark and some of them we'll probably end up bringing in.

"Ross is one of a number that we've been linked with, and again, we'll just have to wait and see [what happens]."

Martin provides Che Adams update

While Stewart may be arriving at St Mary's, one player who could be heading out the exit door is striker Che Adams.

Everton were said to be in talks over a £12 million move for Adams, but it remains to be seen whether the Toffees will pursue a deal after completing the signing of Beto from Udinese.

However, they are not the only club interested in the Scotland international, with Football Insider claiming Crystal Palace could make a move over the coming days.

Adams enjoyed a fine start to the season, scoring three goals in four appearances in all competitions, but he was left out of the squad for the 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, with Martin revealing post-match that he had agreed with the striker that he would not play amid the ongoing speculation regarding his future.

Martin admits he is unsure whether Adams will be at the club beyond the closure of the transfer window, but says he will feature against Sunderland on Saturday if he remains on the South Coast.

"He's trained really well, he trained separately from us for one day which everyone knows about, unfortunately," Martin said.

"He's trained brilliantly this week, though, he's a brilliant character as I've said throughout. There's three scenarios, really.

"One is that we keep Che and everyone is happy. One is that we lose Che and we replace him, and the other is that we keep Che and maybe add someone else, as well. Whatever happens, we'll be OK.

"That's it, really, I can't be anymore open or transparent [than that]. "I don't think anything has advanced since we last spoke. The club that came in has gone away, maybe some other clubs will come to the table at some point.

"Until then... he's trained really well and he's really focused. If he's here [on Saturday], he will be 100% be involved."

Would Ross Stewart be a good signing for Southampton?

Stewart would be an outstanding addition for the Saints.

While he suffered an injury-disrupted campaign last season, he proved his goalscoring ability at Championship level when fit and it would be a huge coup for Southampton if they can get a deal over the line.

Stewart would be more than capable of reaching the 20-goal mark for the Saints this season and he would form a prolific partnership with Adam Armstrong.