Defender Kevin Danso could stay at Southampton this summer, even though they have elected not to activate a purchase option in his loan deal.
The Austrian defender joined the Saints on loan from Bundesliga side Augsburg in the summer as Ralph Hasenhüttl looked to add defensive reinforcements to his squad.
After an initial strong start at St Mary’s, he has slowly fallen off the radar at the club, failing to make an appearance since the beginning of November and only making the bench in five of 17 games since then.
That led to reports that he would be returning to Augsburg this summer, in which it was claimed Southampton were not keen on keeping him permanently.
Augsburger Allgemeine cover the situation today and confirm reports from elsewhere that Southampton have not taken up the purchase option included in his loan deal.
They explain that the Saints negotiated an €11m option in the deal back in August but the deadline to activate that was May 31st and they have not done so.
At this moment in time, it is looking likely he will return to Augsburg this summer although his future at the club is up in the air as they are not entirely keen on him either.
Thus he’s looking at a move elsewhere in the Bundesliga, and there are several clubs interested in him, although a stay at Southampton ‘also seems possible’.
However, they are not keen on the ‘original conditions’ and need to ‘save money’ as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak. Thus, the ‘poker game’ for Danso has begun.
Southampton, it seems, are not completely against signing the 21-year-old again but if they are to do so, they want him for a much lower price than the one they negotiated when they signed him on loan last year.
