Southampton: £17m star now 'one to keep an eye on' at St Mary's | OneFootball

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Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap's situation is 'one to keep an eye on' in the final hours of the transfer window amid reports of interest from Germany in his services, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook.

Southampton latest transfer news - Armel Bella-Kotchap

Yesterday afternoon, reports emerged from The Daily Mail claiming that Borussia Dortmund were closing in on a loan swoop for Southampton defender Bella-Kotchap, who joined the club for a fee in the region of £10 million from Bochum in the summer of 2022.

The outlet stated that both parties were 'ironing out' the terms of an initial loan agreement with a buyout option that would be compulsory next year to take the 21-year-old to Signal Iduna Park on a permanent basis.

Nevertheless, Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg has delivered a crucial update regarding the latest state of play involving Bella-Kotchap's seemingly imminent move to Borussia Dortmund, indicating on X: "Armel Bella-Kotchap and BVB is close to be OFF at the moment! Reasons: Late answer from Southampton and the €15m for Füllkrug. Things can change today but his loan move to BVB is not very likely now. It’s also the feeling for the player. #BVB."

Plettenberg also signalled in a separate post on the social media platform that Bayern Munich, who were mooted to be keen on the Germany international earlier this window, have now re-emerged as a potential destination for the £15k-a-week ace, who is valued at around £17 million by Transfermarkt and 'contact' has now been established between the Bundesliga champions and Southampton.

What has Alex Crook said about Armel Bella-Kotchap?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, talkSPORT journalist Crook believes that Bella-Kotchap's situation is now one to watch in the dying embers of the window, despite his move to Borussia Dortmund hitting the breaks for now.

Crook told GMS: "The interesting one is Armel Bella-Kotchap. Both Dortmund and Bayern want him, but again, they haven't been able to agree a financial package yet, but that's one to keep an eye on."

Who else could Southampton bring in or sell on Deadline Day?

Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri has claimed on X that Southampton striker Paul Onuachu is edging closer to a transfer to Jupiler Pro League side Genk, as he stated: Talks now ongoing between #KRCGenk & #SouthamptonFC to find an agreement for Paul Onuachu. Aim’s to put the Nigerian striker on the #UECL list. #mercato #SaintsFC."

Sunderland striker Ross Stewart is on the verge of completing a move to Southampton for an initial £8 million plus £2 million in add-ons and is expected to be formally announced today, as per The Chronicle.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that talks are taking place between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton regarding striker Che Adams, who could head to Molineux to beef up Gary O'Neil's forward line in the next hours if a deal can be struck.

Salernitana forward Boulaye Dia had also been a target for the Old Gold; however, the Serie A outfit have so far rejected their advances concerning the 26-year-old, which has turned them towards trying to bring in Scotland international Adams.