Southampton thought they had resolved the future of Armel Bella-Kotchap with the player never likely to feature under Russell Martin this season.
Armel Bella-Kotchap joined Southampton for £8.6 million from Bochum in summer 2022 and made a really positive start to life in England which saw him earn a surprise Germany call-up.
Thing have not gone to plan since then, though, with a recurring shoulder injury causing the centre-back to miss chunks of the season that saw Southampton relegated from the Premier League.
With a home Euros this summer, Bella-Kotchap was not keen to spend last season in the Championship and secured a loan move to Dutch giants PSV.
He may have won the Eredivisie title, but Bella-Kotchap managed just three league starts in another season riddled with injury.
Southampton have been looking to sanction the 22-year-old’s sale this season and appeared to have done that after agreeing a £12.8m million deal with Hoffenheim.
Southampton sale of Armel Bella-Kotchap in doubt as issue with Hoffenheim medical
Had it not been for his injury troubles, it is likely Southampton would be receiving a far greater fee for Bella-Kotchap this summer.
Borussia Dortmund are just one of the clubs who have been linked with a move for the player who had a relegation release clause of £25 million last summer.
Whilst still a highly-rated defender, his injury troubles mean he represents a big risk so it has been difficult for Southampton to secure his exit.
Just as they thought they had finally done that, the deal with Hoffenheim now looks in jeopardy as the player has reportedly failed his medical at the Bundesliga club.
This is not due to Bella-Kotchap’s shoulder issue – for which he underwent surgery last season – but a new problem.
According to Bild, Bella-Kotchap’s medical revealed a heart issue that was previously unbeknown to the player which is threatening to jeopardise the transfer.
Sky Sports Germany have reported the same, although they claim that a deal is not completely off the table with all parties finding a solution.
Southampton need Bella-Kotchap move to go through to increase transfer funds
This is unexpected and unwelcome news in equal measure for everyone involved.
For Bella-Kotchap, it is not only concerning in terms of his health but the player would have been relishing the opportunity to revitalise his career in his homeland.
For Hoffenheim, it is the second player who has failed a medical in the past week with a deal for Oumar Solet also under threat from issues arising in the evaluation.
For Southampton, the deal potentially being off means they will have less money than they had hoped for what remains of the transfer window.
With the attack needing new arrivals, as well as the club pursuing a resolution to their goalkeeper problem, every pound will count for the Saints this summer.
Hope remains that a deal will still be completed and the issue detected will prove to be nothing to worry about for Bella-Kotchap as his woes continue.