Southampton have rejected a bid for their midfielder Joe Aribo from Hellas Verona in Serie A.
According to All Nigeria Soccer, Verona made an offer of a loan with an option to buy, which Southampton rejected.
Aribo is said to be one of the players Southampton are looking to cash in on following their relegation from the Premier League. However, Verona’s bid did not meet their valuation.
Two unnamed French Ligue 1 club are also said to be monitoring the situation. Verona are expected to make another bid before the end of the transfer window.
Should Southampton sell Joe Aribo?
The 27-year-old joined Southampton last summer from Rangers, and played 21 times in the Premier League, scoring twice.
Rangers had signed him from Charlton on a free transfer in 2019, and he went on to be a key player for them in Steven Gerard’s reign at the club, helping them win the Scottish Premiership after Celtic had dominated in previous years.
The Nigerian international has only made two appearances in the Championship so far this season, coming on as a substitute in their wins away at Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth Argyle.
He only played a combined eight minutes in those two games though, but did come on in their EFL Cup defeat at Gillingham, coming on at half-time.
As aforementioned, Southampton are looking to sell Aribo but only for the right price. They have already sold a number of players this summer, especially in central midfield with the likes of James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia departing.
With Russell Martin not looking to have Aribo has a regular starter for him, it would make sense for Aribo to be sold.
Southampton have also been in talks to sell centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap, with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund both interested in bringing him back to his homeland.