A forgotten Southampton player has been linked with a sensational move to Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund.
Russell Martin and his players will be giving the upcoming play-off semi-final against West Brom their full attention.
However, behind the scenes, there will be eyes turning towards the summer transfer window and regardless of whether Southampton are promoted it is likely to be another busy close-season.
The club are expected to have to make sales before they can bring players into St Mary’s and 22-year-old Armel Bella-Kotchap is one of their most valuable assets.
Armel Bella-Kotchap linked with Borussia Dortmund move
Southampton signed Bella-Kotchap from VfL Bochum in July 2022 for a fee of £8.6 million.
The defender had a really positive start to life on the south coast of England, playing well and even earning a surprise call up to the German national side.
Speaking to Bild just a few months after the then-20-year-old’s arrival, Southampton manager at the time Ralph Hasenhuttll said: “He’s a one-on-one monster. Very strong in one-on-one situations and he’s very fast.
“You can defend well with him. He plays good passes into the final third, even over longer distances.
“It was very impressive how he asserted himself in the strongest league in the world.”
Perhaps then, it is no surprise to see the man currently on loan at Dutch giants PSV being targets by Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund.
Reports from German news outlet Ruhr 24 suggest that Bella-Kotchap is a player ‘probably about to change clubs’ imminently which is likely to see Dortmund reignite the interest they held in the player last summer.
The report suggests a fee of around £17 million should be enough to secure the 22-year-old’s services, which would represent a sizeable injection of funds that Southampton can reinvest on a player whose future clearly lies elsewhere.
How has Bella-Kotchap performed at PSV?
One reason it is a real surprise to see Dortmund targeting Bella-Kotchap as a signing to replace the ageing Mats Hummels is the fact he has only started two league games at PSV this season.
After a bright start to life at Southampton, the centre-back struggled with persistent injuries in his sole season in England and missed 12 league games through injury as his side were relegated, according to Transfermarkt.
His luck has not improved whilst on loan in the Netherlands, with the shoulder injury he initially sustained at the Saints keeping him out for 13 league matches in a frustrating campaign this time around.
His temporary side did win the Eredivisie title, but Bella-Kotchap himself played little part in the triumph.
Fortunately for both the player and parent club Southampton, this does not appear to have put off potential suitors this summer.
A move to the potential European champions shows just how highly rated the youngster is despite his injuries and if Southampton can recoup £17 million then it is likely all parties will be happy with the deal.