Southampton have suffered a blow in their efforts to sign Viking FK’s Henrik Falchener.
The centre-back has impressed for the Norwegian club since joining them from Egersund in January 2025. He made 55 appearances, even managing eight goals and three assists.
His performances have seen Southampton and Wrexham take notice and he also made his debut for Norway’s senior team in March.
Four days ago, Sport Witness covered a report from Norway explaining that the Saints want to join the bidding war. The Championship side have signalled their willingness to make an offer of around NKK 100m [€9.1m].
Southampton table late bid
TV2 in Norway reports Tonda Eckert’s side have submitted an offer ‘bigger than before’ to secure the 23-year-old’s services.
The overall cost, likely with bonuses, is well over NKK 100 [€9.1m].
On Sunday, Viking FK secured a 2-1 league win over Aalesunds FK, and the Southampton target missed this tie because of a minor injury.
There was no mention of the Norwegian club’s response after Southampton tabled a bid.
Blow for Southampton
Eirik Nesset Hjelvik covered this report for TV2. He has taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday to share an important update.
Viking FK have rejected the English club’s proposal to sign Henrik Falchener. As of now, there is a huge gap between the two clubs. This is a blow for the Championship side.
Hjelvik hasn’t specified the fee the Eliteserien champions are asking to sell the defender.
The Saints have ended their pursuit, meaning they won’t table an improved bid. The English club have less than 48 hours to sign another centre-back.
In February, the Norway international signed a new contract until December 2029. His value, as per Transfermarkt, is €6m. Falchener played 1,317 minutes from 17 matches this year.
Viking har avslått budet på Henrik Falchener.
Avstanden mellom partene virker altfor stor, og det virker som om Southampton nå har gitt opp å sikre seg 23-åringen.
Per nå tyder alt på at Falchener blir værende i Viking. https://t.co/k5mbiYxfoi
— Eirik Nesset Hjelvik (@EirikNH) August 31, 2026
