Southampton FC: Interesting Paul Onuachu twist revealed involving Sport Republic | OneFootball

Goztepe are interested in signing striker Paul Onuachu from Southampton this summer.

That's according to a report from Turkish outlet NTV Spor, who say the club believe they may have an advantage when it comes to agreeing a deal with the Saints.

Onuachu joined Southampton in January 2023, but failed to make an impact at St Mary's before being loaned out last summer, following the club's relegation from the Premier League to the Championship.

That move saw the striker move to Turkey to join Trabzonspor on loan until the end of this season.

Since making that move, the 29-year-old has scored 12 goals and provided four assists in 20 appearances in all competitions for the club.

It has since been reported that while Trabzonspor want to keep Onuachu, they would prefer another loan deal, while Southampton are looking to sell, with talks ongoing.

Now it seems as though another Turkish club could look to make a move of their own for the Nigerian international.

Goztepe keen on Paul Onuachu

As per this latest update, Goztepe have now joined the race to sign Onuachu from the Saints this summer.

The club have just secured promotion back to the Turkish top-flight, and are apparently targeting the Southampton man as they look to make their mark in the transfer window before returning to that level.

It is also claimed that Goztepe may feel they have an advantage in the battle to sign Onuachu, due to the fact that like Southampton, they are owned by the group Sport Republic.

There are still two years remaining on Onuachu's contract with the Saints, meaning they are in a strong position to respond to interest in him.

Southampton are guaranteed to finish fourth in the Championship this season, meaning they are certain to get a shot at promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

They will play one of Norwich City, West Brom or Hull City in the semi-finals, depending on the results those three sides record in their final games of the regular season on Saturday afternoon.

The Saints' own regular campaign ends at Elland Road against Leeds United, who will be hoping Ipswich Town slip up to give them a chance of snatching the second automatic promotion spot.

Goztepe's Paul Onuachu interest a relief for Southampton

You get the feeling that the news of this interest in Onuachu will be rather welcome around St Mary's.

It does seem as though Southampton are keen to get the striker off their books this summer, once the market opens.

Given the potential need to raise funds for signings, and the fact that he has struggled to make any sort of impact at the club, it would make sense that he is one they offload.

However, with differing stances on the nature of any deal, it may have been hard for them to do that with Trabzonspor.

Things though, may seemingly be different with Goztepe, especially considering that the link when it comes to ownership should make discussions over a deal easier to sanction.

With that in mind, this does seem like one link that may be worth keeping an eye on in the summer, that may well work positively for Southampton.