HSV Hamburg have Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap on their summer transfer list as they seek another centre-back.
That’s according to Hamburger Abendblatt, who report that Hamburg are looking for another centre-back and the Southampton man is on their list.
They explain that Stefan Kuntz is currently leading Hamburg’s transfer business as the club’s director of sport and that is seeing him look at player’s he knows well.
He has contacts with players who worked under him when he was Germany U21 manager and the Southampton man is one of them. He made his debut under Kunts in 2021.
That could give Hamburg an advantage, with Bella-Kotchap expected to leave Southampton this summer. He only made four appearances last season and is in the final year of his current deal at St. Mary’s.
The defender is yet to make a decision about his future and there several clubs interested in his signature. But Hamburg showed an interest in him in the January transfer window and might have something of a head start on that competition. Kuntz’s relationship with the 23-year-old could also help.
For now, the German club will continue to maintain contact with the player and his entourage, perhaps waiting for a signal that he’d be interested in the move before approaching Southampton.
