Regardless of what division they will play in next season, Southampton are expected to have a busy summer transfer window.
This is inevitable, given manager Russell Martin currently has five players at the club on loan, whilst seven senior players are away from the club on temporary deals.
Striker Che Adams is out of contract in the summer, as is Alex McCarthy who has been deputising in goal for the injured Gavin Bazunu recently.
32-year-old Stuart Armstrong also faces an uncertain future with his contract also set to expire this summer.
Having sustained a season-ending injury against Cardiff City the Scotland international may have played his last game for the club.
Southampton are gearing up for the play-offs having missed out on automatic promotion and the implications of whether they are successful in securing a return to the Premier League on their transfer business is huge.
Whether they are a Premier League or Championship side next season, the Saints will need to try and offload a number of players in order to make room to bring others in.
Southampton may have difficulty selling Lyanco
One such player is Lyanco.
The defender joined the Saints from Italian side Torino in the summer of 2021 but struggled to ever tie down a regular starting spot.
Whilst fans loved the Brazilian’s passion, he was susceptible to making mistakes and his errors often cost his side.
Southampton thought they had sold the 27-year-old last summer, but a permanent move to Turkish giants Besiktas fell through after Lyanco had flown to Turkey to wrap up the deal.
Instead, with days of the transfer window remaining, Southampton did at least manage to get his wages off the books for the season, as Lyanco joined Qatari side Al Gharafa on loan.
Since arriving in Qatar, the defender has played 13 times according to Transfermarkt, scoring once and providing one assist from centre-back for the side currently fifth in the league.
Given a move to Besiktas fell through last summer and the Saints only managed to agree a loan deal for Lyanco so late in the summer, it is likely to again prove difficult to find a suitor.
What may make things easier for Southampton is the fact his contract is due to expire in summer 2025.
That means the club may accept a reduced fee, however his £30k-per-week wages, according to Salary Sport/), may prove a stumbling block for any prospective buyers.
Lyanco not the only player Southampton want to move on
Lyanco’s situation is not unique at Southampton.
The club also own Duje Caleta-Car, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Paul Onuachu, Romain Perraud, Mateusz Lis and Carlos Alcaraz, all of whom are out on loan.
A number of these players are at big clubs, with Caleta-Car at Lyon, Bella-Kotchap at PSV and Alcaraz at Juventus.
It is unlikely that any of the players will view their future at St Mary’s, with perhaps the exception of Lis who is at Southampton’s sister club Goztepe.
Therefore, Southampton will have try and find clubs to buy these assets without compromising too heavily on the price in their desperation to shift each individual on.
Realistically, a loss is likely to be made on almost all the players on loan away from the club this season.
Southampton just need to try and ensure it is not too damaging financially for them so they can look ahead to the future.