Bournemouth transfar : Crystal Palace set to join Everton,and Wolves in battle for Southampton player
Che Adams scored in Southampton’s Championship opener on Friday, and now Roy Hodgson is keen to sign him
With less than four weeks to go in the transfer window, there could be a scramble for several Championship players that were relegated from the Premier League earlier this year.
And one of those players who could be on the move is Southampton striker Che Adams, who has already made his mark in the early stages of the 2023-24 season.
The Saints got their Championship campaign off and running on Friday night with a 2-1 success over Sheffield Wednesday in what was the first look of how the club will look like under new head coach Russell Martin.
The Owls were passed off the park but in the end Southampton won by just the one goal, with the aforementioned Adams coming off the bench to net the winner at Hillsborough.
Adam Armstrong was selected as the lone striker by Martin ahead of Adams, but Southampton’s number 10 came onto the pitch and made an impact in the final minutes of regular time.
It is a first season in the Championship for Adams since he was a Birmingham City player in 2019, where he scored 22 times in the second tier in the 2018-19 season.
Adams may not be in the Championship for much longer though as there is plenty of interest from top flight clubs going into the final few weeks of the window.
What clubs are interested in Che Adams?
Everton, Wolves and Bournemouth have all been linked with a move for the 27-year-old recently, with the Cherries reportedly having an offer rejected for the Scotland international striker.
They now have a new rival in the mix though and that is believed to be Crystal Palace.
According to a report from The Sun, Roy Hodgson is now keen to land Adams with it looking increasingly likely that Jean-Philippe Mateta is on his way out of Selhurst Park.
Mateta has had offers and interest this summer from RB Leipzig and Genoa, with Palace looking for around the £15 million mark for the Frenchman, per The Sun.
And that is the kind of price-tag that Southampton have set for Adams, who could be set for an immediate return to the top flight of English football.
In his four Premier League seasons for the Saints, Adams never hit double figures for goals, with his best record coming in the 2020-21 campaign with nine goals in 36 appearances
Palace though, along with a host of other clubs, want to add Adams for his pace and top flight experience this summer.
What is Che Adams’ situation at Southampton?
When signing for Southampton back in 2019, Adams signed a bumper five-year contract with the Saints.
Adams has never extended that deal in that time period, meaning that he is now in the final 12 months of a contract that expires in June 2024.
And with Adams being in that situation, the next few weeks could be the last time that Southampton have the chance to land a significant fee for his services.
Come January, should Adams still not have signed a new contract, he can discuss a pre-contract arrangement for the summer of 2024 for an overseas club, so it could be in their best interests to strike a deal for Adams with another club whilst they still can.
