Southampton are interested in signing West Bromwich Albion winger Tom Fellows.
According to the Daily Mail, West Brom are trying to keep hold of the 20-year-old.
But they are facing ‘mounting interest’ from Saints and the Championship league leaders, Leicester City.
He is out of contract at the end of the season, and Albion are ‘keen’ to tie him down to a new deal.
Albion are under the process of being taken over, and it is understood that they have already ‘indicated’ they would like Fellows to stay, too.
Who is Tom Fellows?
Fellows has been at Albion since he was at U10 level.
He spent last season on loan in League Two with Crawley Town, where he got two assists in 38 games as they avoided relegation by three points.
He has since spent time with the first team, and has started to come off the bench, making all six of his appearances in the last six games.
He is also very versatile, whilst predominantly a right winger, he can also play at centre forward, as an attacking midfielder, and even at left back.
He came on for the last nine minutes in Saints’ 2-1 win over West Brom on Saturday afternoon.
The verdict
Fellows is clearly a very talented player, and it is not surprising to see him be linked with a move away ahead of the January transfer window.
For Saints and manager Russell Martin this could be a coup, as you would imagine he would be available very cheap.
It would also fit their transfer strategy, in signing young players and developing them with a view of them becoming a first-team regular.
But with Leicester interested, it would be interesting to see who he chooses. The Foxes are closer to West Brom, so he would not have to move far, and they are top of the league, with promotion back to the Premier League looking more than likely at this moment in time.
He may also struggle to get a chance in the first team at Saints, with many wingers such as Kamaldeen Sulemana, Ryan Fraser, Carlos Alcaraz and Samuel Edozie all most likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order.