Southampton have now set an asking price for Paul Onuachu as talks are ongoing over a potential exit in the summer.
Paul Onuachu arrived at Southampton along with club-record signing Kamaldeen Sulemana on transfer deadline day in January 2023.
The powerful Belgian forward rose to prominence as a relentless goalscorer in the Belgian Pro League with Genk. In 134 appearances for the club, he found the net 85 times and in the first half of the 2022/23 campaign, he’d plundered an impressive 16 goals in 19 appearances.
At the time, paying £18 million for a player with that goal record seemed like an astute signing, however, his spell at St Mary’s has soon unravelled into a nightmare.
Last season, he made 11 appearances in the Premier League and failed to find the net once as Southampton were relegated to the Championship.
Now, the 29-year-old is currently enjoying a fruitful loan spell at Turkish side Trabzonspor after departing the South Coast in September last year.
After watching him score nine goals in 17 matches this term, Trabzonspor are keen to strike a permanent deal but the asking price set by the Saints has made this a ‘complicated’ deal to get done.
Southampton set asking price for Paul Onuachu
According to Turkish outlet Fotospor, as relayed by Sport Witness, negotiations between Southampton and Trabzonspor continue at full speed.
The report states that the Championship side have set an asking price of €12 million (£10 million) for their flop striker, while the Turkish side are unwilling to pay above €10 million (£8 million) for the player.
It is stated that things are ‘complicated’ right now, but the best decision for both parties is to let Onuachu fulfil his dream of staying in Turkey, even if it means Southampton have to cut their losses.
Southampton have to cut losses and sell Paul Onuachu
The Saints are still paying financially for their disastrous transfer window in January 2023 and although their summer sales have alleviated some of that stress, Onuachu has been a huge mistake.
Some may say he hasn’t had enough chances to prove himself in England, but equally, he hasn’t done enough to earn those opportunities or justify his wage.
As per Capology, Onuachu earns a whopping £47,000 a week and if Russell Martin’s men do end up remaining in the Championship, they’ll need to cut their cloth accordingly.
That means parting ways with Onuachu for a fraction of the fee they paid, and perhaps Sulemana, who both arrived at St Mary’s on the exact same day.