Southampton are ‘closing in’ on the signing of another player who who will bring vital Premier League experience to a young squad.
Southampton have already signed two senior players this summer as they look to get their squad ready for a battle for top flight survival.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ loan deal was automatically made permanent for £20 million when promotion was confirmed as per the terms of the agreement with Manchester City, whilst Adam Lallana returned to his first club for free.
Lallana’s singing is symbolic of an obvious desire from manager Russell Martin to add Premier League experience to his squad for cheap, with 30-year-old duo Saman Ghoddos and Ryan Fraser expected to join him.
It now looks as though this strategy is set to continue, with the club close to securing another free agent who has played 161 Premier League games.
Southampton set to sign Burnley’s Charlie Taylor for free
That player is Charlie Taylor, the 30-year-old who recently suffered relegation from the top flight for Burnley.
According to journalist Rudy Galetti on ‘X’: ‘Southampton are closing in on signing Charlie Taylor as a free agent, confirmed.
The left-back rejected the renewal proposed by Burnley, ready to start a new experience at Southampton’.
This would be Southampton’s third senior signing of the summer after Harwood-Bellis and Lallana; with the Saints also securing a pre-contract agreement for 17-year-old Japanese attacker Rento Takaoka but the player not set to join until next March when he turns 18.
Taylor set to provide Ryan Manning with competition at left-back
Last summer Martin acted swiftly to bring left-back Ryan Manning to Southampton on a free following the expiration of his Swansea City contract.
Manning played under Martin at Swansea and was key to the way his side played but struggled to recreate the kind of form that saw him score five goals and proved ten assists in the 2022/23 season at the Saints.
With Juan Larios injured for the entirety of last season, Manning effectively had no competition at left-back but lost his place to James Bree and Jack Stephens – both playing out of position – at times.
In Taylor, Southampton will be signing a solid Premier League full-back who can be seen as a safe pair of hands but is also used to playing a possession-focused style having played under Vincent Kompany at Burnley.
Taylor fell out of favour at times under Kompany last season but the Belgian manager praised the ex-Leeds United defender as he made his first appearance of the season last September, saying: “His chance came and he took it with both hands and we are happy with that.
“They know they have to work hard. Charlie Taylor was a standout performer (against Forest), yet last time he wasn’t even in the squad.”
Whilst it is not a signing that will get Southampton fans too excited, it is another free capture in a position that needs depth and continues the ploy of adding top flight experience to the squad.