goodymatt

So Everton are interested in signing Che Adams, Paul Onuachu and Kalmadeen Sulemana. Could be a case of we keep Che (obviously) and we each sign one of the other two today? Tbf if I was Vitinha I would go to Brighton but it’s the hope that kills you!

This makes logical sense

If you have DCL, why would you then buy another similar player?

Sigh.

In summary: Vitinha - we are meeting his release clause. Not seen anything on player side yet. OM mixed reports of being out of the race or bidding against us. We are ‘confident’ of getting him signed before the deadline. Demebele - we apparently bid but he isn’t interested moving before his contract expires this summer. Onuachu - we had a bid rejected last week but are back in and ‘doing everything we can to bring him to the PL’

Could we really be trying to sign two strikers, surely not?!

“Sp. Braga - Sp. Braga close to closing Navarro, with Vitinha forwarded to Southampton”

Athletic saying Dembele is one for the summer as he wants to run down his contract. Would be amazing if we got the other 2 but at this point I’d be very happy with either!

There have been other reports saying OM won’t got to asking price and Fabrizio has them looking at alternatives:

You’d hope we are not chasing players that aren’t interested but we do have previous!

Athletic article also says Vitinha is one of 3 players we are looking atm for forward positions, assume Sulemana is being considered the 3rd and not Andre Ayew?

Athletic now reporting we are in talks. Article also says we are interested in Dembele but that one would be for the summer as he wants to see the best options as a free agent after this season.

I know after recent windows we are all preparing for disappointment but both links to Moussa Dembele and Vitinha are much more like it. I would be very pleased if we can pull either of those off! Come on Saints get it done. Surely you don’t meet a release clause for shits and giggles. The player must be interested. Vitinha would have been weighing up his options, time to make a decision? One we’ve tracked for a while, feels more like SR planning coming to fruition? I’m going to be disappointed aren’t I?

It’s hard to see a way to compete for us when our top targets are so easily outbid by our relegation rivals/teams close to our points: Moffi - appears to have been our number on target. WHU outbid us before he made his preference known to stay in France. Jackson - yes he failed his medical but outbid by Bournemouth. Appears to have been another key target this window. We were talking to him all window. Sulemana - a player Rasmus will know from his time in Denmark. Positive words over the weekend from Jones re his potency. Outbid by basket case Everton. Danny Ings - the most logical signing, outbid on wages by WHU. His injury doesn’t hide it’s another one we lost. Danjuma - long term target, I’m sure we would have been very interested. Clearly chose Everton over us before getting poached by Spurs. Then you go to the previous window where Leeds outbid us for Gakpo as main rivals and we couldn’t convince G. Ramos either. Our budget constraints (both fees and wages) leave us shopping in the high risk category. This isn’t looking good for the great escape. I really do hope we can find that attacking player to save us but confidence in that is diminishing. Jones’ tone in the presser today seemed less confident too, but that could just be a front.

Translation, we’ve been outbid by our relegation rival… again.