Southampton could have £8.5m cash injection coming this summer: View | OneFootball

As many people know, Southampton FC had quite a hectic summer transfer window, as players came and went from the football club.

The Saints lost some high-profile players, but they also saw players leave the club on a temporary basis, something that defender Romain Perraud did.

The Frenchman was obviously considered someone who wasn’t going to be part of Russell Martin's plans, and the club worked out a deal that saw him return to his native France and join OGC Nice.

Romain Perraud joined OGC Nice in the summer transfer window

Romain Perraud has been with Southampton since 2021, when he was brought to the club in that summer transfer window for quite a large fee.

The 26-year-old played 23 times in his first campaign for the club, with 20 of those appearances coming in the Premier League.

He then followed that 2021/22 season, finding himself more involved in first team duty in the 2022/23 campaign. Perraud played 29 times in the top flight, as well as seven games split across the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.

But his situation changed this summer, as relegation to the Championship meant a lot of the Southampton players had their futures up in the air.

Perraud started the campaign as part of the Saints’ first team, as he played 59 minutes in the EFL Cup tie against Gillingham, but that was going to be his one and only appearance for the English team this season.

Southampton agreed a deal with Nice at the end of August that saw Perraud join the Ligue 1 side on loan for the season, with the club having the option to make the deal permanent for £8.5 million.

Southampton could have a £8.5 million cash injection coming this summer

It has been reported that the deal between Southampton and Nice for defender Romain Perraud includes the option for the French club to buy the 26-year-old for £8.5 million this summer.

If that is the case, then that obviously means the Saints are happy to see Perraud leave the club; it just couldn’t be agreed for him to leave on a permanent basis last summer.

Now, it will all come down to whether Nice wants to sign Perraud on a permanent basis, as he probably hasn't played as much as he would have hoped for.

So far this season, Perraud has played in just 17 Ligue 1 games, with only two coming as starts. According to Sofascore.com, the defender is averaging just 21 minutes of football per game and has yet to score or register an assist.

While he may not have contributed in the final third, Perraud has shown some of his defensive qualities.

The left-back has averaged 0.4 interceptions and 0.4 tackles per game and has recovered the ball 0.9 times this season, as per Sofascore.com.

So, Perraud hasn’t set the world alight while with Nice, but Southampton will hope he has done enough and continues to do so between now and the end of the season.

The Saints have already got Ryan Manning and Juan Larios in their squad in the left-back slot, so Russell Martin will probably hope that Nice do trigger the option in Perraud’s deal, as it will be one less player that they need to try and move on in the summer, and it will also mean a £8.5 million cash injection will come into the club.

This may not be considered a lot for the club, but it will be a timely welcome, especially if Southampton don’t seal promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

Perraud himself will probably hope Nice do trigger the option in the deal, as it means he gets to continue playing in France and it means he doesn’t have to return to the Saints, where it hasn’t gone as smoothly as he would have hoped when he joined in 2021.