Southampton are reportedly eyeing up a move for a player who has just won the German second tier.
On the pitch, Southampton are gearing up for the Championship play-off final against Leeds United, with the winner securing a return to the Premier League at the first attempt.
However, behind the scenes the club are looking ahead to what is expected to be another busy summer regardless of promotion in the knowledge that a place in the top flight would make them a more attractive option to any prospective signings.
The future’s of the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters, Flynn Downes and Taylor Harwood-Bellis all likely hinge on whether Russell Martin can steer his side to a third win of the season against Leeds at Wembley.
Now, though, reports in Germany suggest Southampton are interested in a move for FC Pauli winger Elias Saad.
Southampton considering Elias Saad offer
According to German news outlet Fussball Transfers, Southampton are considering ‘making an offer’ for Saad to show their intentions.
With Kamaldeen Sulemena likely to be sold this summer and other wingers Ryan Fraser and David Brooks only at St Mary’s on loan it would make sense that the Saints are exploring options in the wide areas.
24-year-old Saad has reportedly piqued the club’s interest as he has played a key part in helping St Pauli to win the Bundesliga 2 and Southampton are said to have had scouts watching the Tunisian wideman towards the end of the season.
Saad only moved to the Hamburg club in January 2023 from fourth tier side Eintracht Norderstedt, so has made a meteoric rise in a short space of time.
There is a downside to his recent move, though, as it means he is contracted to St Pauli until 2026.
This should mean his club can demand a decent fee for his services and the competition Southampton are said to face from Union Berlin as well as Getafe may well drive his price up further.
Why are Southampton interested in Elias Saad?
Whilst Southampton’s uncertainty around the future of three of the four senior wingers at the club means they are bound to be pursuing a wide attacker this summer, there is a reason they are particularly keen on Saad.
That is because the winger is developing at a frightening rate, having scored 24 goals and provided 14 assists in just 47 games for Eintracht Norderstedt before making the move to St Pauli according to Transfermarkt.
After six months to adapt to the new level last season, Saad kicked on again to score nine goals and set up another three in 34 games in all competitions this season as his side won the second division.
Primarily a left winger, Saad loves to cut in on his stronger right foot and has also received international recognition this season as he made his debut for Tunisia in March; playing 45 minutes against New Zealand.
Upon his arrival at St Pauli, both the club’s director of sport, Andreas Bornemann, and manager, Timo Schultz, identified Saad’s potential to improve as a key factor in the signing.
Bornemann said at the time: “Elias Saad is a player we’ve been watching for some time. We see a lot of potential for development in him, which makes him a perfect fit for our concept.”
Whilst Schultz added: “I always enjoy working with young, developing players. Elias Saad brings a lot of pace and has demonstrated his goal threat in the Regionalliga. The task now is to transfer that to the second division.”
Saad certainly did transfer his skillset to the second division and now looks set to make the step up to a first division in one of Europe’s top five leagues, whether that be Germany, Spain or in England with Southampton.