Southampton made a number of signings last season that did not exactly work out.
Those recruitment decisions that backfired, arguably contributed to the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
Since then, many of those players have moved on to pastures new during the current campaign, either permanently or on loan.
One of those to have made such a move this season, is Carlos Alcaraz. The attacking midfielder joined Southampton from Racing Club in his native Argentina in January 2023.
Having made that move, Alcaraz has scored eight goals and provided five assists in 47 appearances in all competitions for the Saints.
But with the 21-year-old never really settling at St Mary’s, he was allowed to leave to join Juventus in the January transfer.
Now, an update has emerged on the possibility of Juventus turning Alcaraz’ move from Southampton into a permanent one.
Permanent Carlos Alcaraz move unlikely
As part of this deal, Juventus do have the option to buy Alcaraz in the summer transfer window, for a fee of £40million.
However, it seems they will not be doing that as things stand. Since making the move to Italy, the midfielder has managed just four appearances for Juventus.
The Southampton loanee has missed the last three games due to a hamstring injury. As a result, Gazzetta Dello Sport, via Sport Wintess, have now reported that Juve are unlikely to pay the fee to take up this permanent option.
Instead, it is suggested that they will look to negotiate a new loan move from the Saints, and hold talks about reducing the fee they would have to pay to make the deal permanent.
For his part, it is claimed that Alcaraz has shown that he is fully ready to make a long-term move to Juventus.
He does however, still have four years remaining on his contract with Southampton.
Southampton will have an eye on Carlos Alcaraz developments
These updates are something that those at St Mary’s will surely want to pay close attention to.
Even in the Championship this season, Alcaraz has struggled to really make an impact for Russell Martin‘s side.
As a result, those at Southampton may feel they are better off moving him on in the summer. That will be particularly appealing if they can do so permanently with that option to buy that Juventus have.
Such a deal would bring some sizeable funds into the club, that could be reinvested in strengthening the squad even further.
So far though, it doesn’t really feel as though Alcaraz has done enough to tempt Juventus to pay such a fee for him.
As a result, a loan deal does seemingly look more likely. That could leave the door open for the option to take up a permanent move further down the line.
However, Southampton could also gamble on the hope that they can find another potential buyer for Alcaraz away from Juventus, if he would be open to that move as well.
As a result, there is plenty to think about for those at St Mary’s when it comes to the future of Alcaraz, on top of everything else.