Southampton star's agent reveals Everton and Nottingham Forest January transfer interest | OneFootball

Carlos Alcaraz’s agent has confirmed that the player pushed for his exit from Southampton last January, and that Everton and Nottingham Forest were among the sides keen.

The Argentine instead signed for Italian giants Juventus on loan until the end of the campaign.

The Serie A side also has an option to make the deal permanent in the summer for a fee worth a reported €49.5 million (£42.3 million).

Alcaraz made 23 appearances for the Saints in the Championship, but only 13 of those came as starts (all stats from Fbref).

The 21-year-old has since made four appearances in the Italian top flight since making the switch from St. Mary’s.

In an interesting revelation, Alcaraz's agent Sebastian Lopez has confirmed that the player pushed for his departure from Southampton due to a lack of game time, and that there were English clubs interested in taking him.

“He is an important asset to the club who is not getting the minutes he needs, who is not being able to help the club achieve the goal of promotion,” said Lopez, via AS.

“The coach prefers other options and I understand that it is a question of, I insist, communication.

“Because of the development of Charly’s career, we asked for the possibility to leave and they always made it clear to me that it was a loan move.

“There was no option to sell.

“We had some options with Nottingham, with Lyon, with Marseille.

“And I was also talking to people from Everton. On Sunday, before the market closed, I went to London to explore all these options and to try to get a commitment from the club that a deal could be done.”

Carlos Alcaraz's Southampton future

It has been reported that Juve are not willing to trigger the £42.3 million option to buy clause to sign Alcaraz in the summer.

However, it is believed that the Italian giants are hoping to still secure a permanent move for the youngster.

Southampton’s reported interest in Matías Soulé could play a role in finding a solution that works for all parties.

Soulé is currently on loan from Juventus at Frosinone, where he has impressed with his performances in Serie A.

However, the Saints will face competition from the likes of Newcastle United and Aston Villa, among others, in the race to sign the young forward.

Their hopes of signing the 20-year-old could hinge on the success of their promotion push.

Southampton have fared well without Alcaraz

Alcaraz clearly has a lot of talent, and a move to Juventus from Southampton is always going to be an enticing step up for players.

However, the Saints have fared pretty well without the Argentine and already have plans in place for life without him on a permanent basis it seems.

He was in and out of the side prior to his January move, so it’s no surprise that he sought a new club, but he isn’t exactly receiving a lot of minutes in Turin.

Given Juve don’t seem keen to pay the £42.3 million to sign him in the summer, it will be interesting to see where he ends up, but it appears he has no shortage of possible suitors.