A fortnight after Joshua Quarshie put pen to paper with Southampton, summer signing number two appeared to be just around the corner at the Championship outfit.
In Quarshie, the Germany Under-21 international snapped up on a £3.5 million deal from Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim, Southampton have signed one of Europe’s fastest footballers.
A centre-back who, according to the Saints’ technical director Johannes Spors, brings ‘outstanding athleticism’ to the backline Will Still inherits on the South coast.
With reinforcements also required at the other end of the pitch, meanwhile, reports from South America claimed that Southampton had submitted a bid for Lucas Cepeda as a follow up to Quarshie’s late-May arrival.
Cepeda, the 22-year-old Chile international going from strength-to-strength back home with Colo-Colo.
Some 24 hours later, however, a rebuttal has already arrived. And from probably the most authoritative source of all.
Colo-Colo president says no Southampton bid for Chile star Lucas Cepeda
Southampton reportedly made a ‘formal offer’ in the region of £4 million for Lucas Cepeda. Only ever so slightly short of the £5 million price-tag Colo-Colo have allegedly placed on his head.
But, as far as club president Anibal Mosa knows, reports of a bid from St Mary’s are wide of the mark.
“We haven’t received anything yet [for Cepeda],” Mosa explains. “We don’t have any kind of offer.”
That could change, of course.
While Aaron Ramsdale looks destined to leave Southampton in the near future – West Ham appear to be at the front of the queue for the England goalkeeper – wingers Ryan Fraser, Sam Edozie and Kamaldeen Sulemana are also facing a less-than certain fate.
And that is without mentioning Tyler Dibling. St Mary’s prized asset, Dibling would massively boost Southampton’s PSR situation should the reported Manchester United target head for the exit in a deal worth in excess of £50 million.
Cepeda may therefore be a player Southampton do eventually make an offer for, then, even if an alleged £4 million opening bid is seemingly not grounded in reality.
“I’ve seen everything that’s been said on social media [about my future],” Cepeda said last month while confirming his desire to leave Chilean football for a more high-profile competition.
“If it happens, it’s welcome. I would like to make the jump. I think it’s time. If [an opportunity to leave Colo-Colo] comes, it comes, and if not, I’ll keep working. Hopefully something good happens so we can achieve the dream all kids dream of, of going [abroad] to play.”
Tyler Dibling plays down rumours as Southampton’s summer plans take shape
A left-footed left-winger with an explosive long-range shot in his locker, Cepeda has scored three goals in his first seven appearances for the Chilean national team.
The man he may be tasked with replacing in Will Still’s roster, meanwhile, is happy to keep any speculation at arms’ length.
“Rambo loves it. I’ll miss a shot in training and he’ll just go; ‘£90million! £80million!’ as it keeps going down. It’s all good fun. There’s a few nicknames going around,” Dibling told the BBC last month, goalkeeper Ramsdale all too familiar with the whispers and the rumours which always arise at this time of year.
“It’s all jokes. Nobody takes it seriously. It’s all fun.
“I don’t try to think about it and just try and go into train every day and work hard and train the best I can. At the end of the day, I love Southampton. I have been here since I was eight. It’s such a great team and I am working to do big things with them.”
In terms of potential incomings, Sweden midfielder Besfort Zenel is keeping the Southampton door ajar.
The Saints are interested in Max Johnston too, the Scotland international right-back who last season celebrated a second successive Austrian Bundesliga title with Sturm Graz.
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