"The £25 million mark" - Southampton facing Charly Alcaraz, Juventus issue this summer | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Despite only arriving on the south coast of England in January 2023, Carlos Alcaraz departed Southampton on loan to Juventus in the previous transfer window.

It has been reported that the Italian giants have negotiated an option to buy clause worth €49.5 million (£42.5 million).

However, it has since been claimed that the Serie A club feel the figure they negotiatied is prohibitive and consequently they will be looking to reopen negotiations with the Saints over a new agreement in the summer.

Carlos Alcaraz's importance to Southampton

Alcaraz is currently out of action due to a hamstring injury, but he has reportedly impressed manager Max Allegri.

The Argentine’s agent clarified earlier this month that the move to Juve was sought due to a lack of consistent game time in Russell Martin’s side.

The playmaker started just 13 of 23 league games in the Championship prior to his move to Turin in the winter window, and despite clearly being a talented player, Russell Martin struggled to find a permanent place for him in his starting 11.

Should Southampton look to renegotiate Juventus agreement for Charly Alcaraz?

Here we ask some of our FLW writers their verdict on whether Southampton should look to retain Alcaraz if Juve don’t trigger the £42.5 million option to buy clause in the summer...

Declan Harte

It has been reported that Southampton are interested in signing Matías Soulé from Juventus in the summer.

Soulé has impressed on loan with Frosinone, and would be an exciting signing for the club, though his arrival may require being able to offer Premier League football next season.

If promotion is secured then the Saints should look to negotiate a compromise with the Italian giants so that Alcaraz and Soulé could potentially swap clubs.

That becomes more complicated if Southampton end up remaining in the Championship for another year though, in which Soulé will likely not be attainable.

A second loan agreement would be Juve’s preference in the event that Martin’s side fails to go up, which would be a big step down from £42.5 million for the Saints.

But it doesn’t seem that the playmaker fits into Martin's starting 11, so a solution should be found to negotiate a permanent exit in the summer.

Despite his obvious talent and potential, perhaps cashing out now on Alcaraz would be the club’s best course of action regardless of which division they compete in next year.

If Juve are unable to stump up the cash to sign him permanently, then the Saints could also shop him around and look for another club.

Alcaraz also attracted Premier League interest prior to his move to Italy last January, so there should be no shortage of possible buyers.

Ben Wignall

It's very clear to see that Alcaraz is a talented footballer, but he is more of a number 10 that suits a 4-2-3-1 formation the most - Russell Martin cannot give him that at St Mary's Stadium though.

Juventus obviously have the eye for a player though, but the fee that was agreed late on in the January window for a potential permanent move seemed pretty eye-watering for what the Argentine maestro has done so far in his career.

Southampton must've surely seen Juventus' unwillingness to part with so much money for Alcaraz coming because of that, and it's little surprise to anyone that they are trying to lower the fee to something a bit more reasonable.

The Saints paid £12 million for Alcaraz in early 2023, but given he is only 21 years of age and has been called up to the Argentina national squad recently, the midfielder's value will only go up and up.

If Southampton do come back to the negotiating table with Juventus though and if the Turin outfit do want another loan deal, they must do one thing - include an obligation to buy and not an option.

It would be bizarre to loan one of your most promising starlets out to a bigger club for 18 months without a guarantee that they will be bought, and even if it takes significantly lowering the fee - maybe even to the £25 million mark - then it could be worth taking for the Saints.