Southampton could be about to see a summer transfer saga come to an end with one of their players now expected to sign a new contract.
Manager Russell Martin knows there is a lot of work to be done to get his Southampton squad ready for the step up to the Premier League this summer.
They have started the summer well, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ loan move made permanent after promotion and veteran Adam Lallana signing on a free.
Southampton are set to continue their work in the free agent market, with a deal for 30-year-old Brentford midfielder Saman Ghoddos expected to be confirmed once his contract expires at the end of June.
However, it is one of Southampton’s own players they are hoping to prevent leaving for free at the end of the month and it now sounds like they are edging closer to achieving that with Alex McCarthy.
Alex McCarthy ‘set to pen’ new Southampton contract
Southampton have three of last season’s senior squad out of contract this summer, with Che Adams and Stuart Armstrong also seeing their deals come to an end.
The club have confirmed that Armstrong will be moving on but discussions are still ongoing regarding Adams’ future.
Had first-choice Gavin Bazunu not got injured in April, McCarthy would likely have left this summer with little fanfare.
As it was, the 34-year-old stepped up in Bazunu’s absence and played a key role in Southampton’s promotion via the play-offs.
Now, it looks as though Southampton are trying to ensure McCarthy remains at St Mary’s next season, with TEAMtalk revealing the Saints have ‘entered into contract talks’ and have ‘quickly made progress’.
With the fact he is free and homegrown meaning McCarthy is an attractive option for Premier League sides, it was rumoured that Liverpool were keen on taking him to Anfield.
However, it now seems most likely the goalkeeper will extend his eight year stay at Southampton with McCarthy ‘set to pen a new contract’.
McCarthy proved his worth to Russell Martin in Championship play-offs
Prior to Bazunu’s injury in the warm up against Preston, McCarthy was Southampton’s third-choice ‘keeper.
In fact, McCarthy was not even named on the bench for that game against Preston, but Martin surprised everyone by choosing him as the man to replace Bazunu on the night rather than Joe Lumley who had been named on the bench.
McCarthy kept a clean sheet as the Saints won 3-0 and kept his place for the remainder of the season.
The once-capped England international showed his quality in the play-offs, keeping two clean sheets in the three games, and was particularly good in the away leg of the semi-final against West Brom.
Following that display Martin was full of praise for the goalkeeper, saying: “He’s been great.
“He was massive today, (he was great with) long throws and the way he came and dealt with things.
“I just don’t think anything phases him. He has that laid-back mentality but he really backs himself as a goalkeeper.
“He has been fantastic.”
With Bazunu set to miss a large chunk of next season with the achilles injury sustained in April, tying McCarthy down was always going to be crucial and it now looks as though Southampton are set to do just that.