Southampton have got plenty of business done this summer as Russell Martin has welcomed 12 players to his first-team ranks in a bid to survive in the Premier League.
Aaron Ramsdale is the latest Southampton signing of the summer with a Deadline Day move from Arsenal.
The fee for Ramsdale could rise up to £25 million and represents a real statement of intent from owners Sport Republic.
There could still be one or two new faces arriving at Southampton before the 11pm transfer deadline on Friday, with Maxwel Cornet one player strongly linked with spending the season on loan at St Mary’s.
However, we now know about one player Russell Martin missed out on, as details have been revealed regarding a number of clubs’ approaches for a young English talent.
Southampton offer for Manchester City midfielder James McAtee revealed
Southampton started their summer business by prioritising the defence, with the likes of Yukinari Sugawara, Ronnie Edwards and Charlie Taylor all signed early on.
Once the backline was sorted, Martin began to address other areas and has now added Lesley Ugochukwu and Mateus Fernandes to the permanent signing of last season’s loanee Flynn Downes in the midfield.
- READ MORE: Who is Mateus Fernandes? The ‘complete’ £16m gem set to become Southampton’s 11th summer signing
However, there is another midfielder that piqued Southampton’s interest this summer, with the Saints named as one of a number of clubs who ‘approached’ Manchester City for midfielder James McAtee.
That is according to The Daily Mail, who report that: ‘James McAtee is set to stay at Manchester City today despite clubs across Europe registering an interest in him across the summer.
Stuttgart, Feyenoord, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Lille, Lens and Celtic have all approached City about loan or permanent deals for the 21-year-old in recent weeks, but they have been knocked back’.
McAtee compared to Arsenal magician Martin Odegaard
Whilst it is not known whether Southampton’s approach for McAtee was for a loan or permanent deal, it would have been a real coup if a deal had been agreed.
Having spent the last two seasons on loan at relegated Sheffield United, it was unclear what the future held for England under-21 international McAtee.
However, Pep Guardiola looks set to give the 21-year-old a chance in the City first-team this season and has labelled the youngster ‘special’.
He is not alone in his praise of McAtee, with former Sheffield United striker Carl Asaba likening him to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard last November, saying: “He’s a bonus player in that he plays midfield and you have an extra number in there but then he can just attack.
“He’s like Odegaard. You play him in midfield so he’s defending for you, he’s another body for them to try and navigate away from but he likes the ball 30 yards out because he can go past you like you’re not there.”
Despite City’s decision on McAtee this summer, this is a deal Southampton could perhaps revisit in January if opportunities prove limited under Guardiola.