Southampton Are Set To Lose 27-Year-Old Defender For Free

Southampton right back Kyle Walker-Peters was the subject of transfer speculation this past summer with his contract set to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season, but the Saints were unwilling to part ways with arguably the best right back in the Championship.

Knowing they were headed back to the Premier League, Southampton didn’t want to sell Walker-Peters for too cheap, as it would be difficult to find an adequate replacement at right back.

Furthermore, Southampton were optimistic that they could negotiate a long-term contract with Walker-Peters, re-signing the English fullback before he could leave for free.

However, it looks like that contract extension won’t materialize. Fabrizio Romano reports that negotiations have broken down between Southampton and Kyle Walker-Peters.

Both sides are far apart from a deal that has been negotiated for almost two months, when the Saints decided they would work to extend the 27-year-old fullback instead of selling him.

If talks have indeed fully broken down, then Southampton must prepare to wave goodbye to one of their best players, because Walker-Peters can leave the club on a pre-agreed free transfer in the winter upon the official expiry of his contract in summer 2025.

Walker-Peters, a former Tottenham player, has been off to a poor start through four matches in his Premier League return with a WhoScored rating under 6.50, which is well below league average.

That’s a far cry from his strong 2023/24 performance in the Championship when he had six total goal contributions, nearly three combined tackles and interceptions per game, and nearly four combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per match.

Walker-Peters hasn’t been good at the Premier League level since the 2021/22 season, so he may not have a deep pool of suitors this winter in terms of the wages he is looking for, though free agents do tend to make more money than transferred players.

So if Walker-Peters finds the offers underwhelming in January for a summer deal, then he and Southampton could always circle back around to renegotiate. At this juncture, though, it looks more likely that the 27-year-old will be headed elsewhere for free.