Club ‘will never’ pay Southampton fee to sign player as it currently stands – Money + player deal could help them out

With the deal taking Carlos Alcaraz from Southampton to Juventus made official, there is already some talk about that famous option to buy.

As you might have seen, the initial payment for the Argentine midfielder is a €3.9m package up front, which includes taking on the wages, as well as a €49.5m option to buy to make the move permanent come the end of the season.

That fee raised quite a few eyebrows when it was announced, and Tuttosport vocalise what many were thinking at the time, which is that ‘it is clear that for that amount, the Bianconeri will never exploit this option’.

There is a feeling that the Southampton loanee would have to become the second coming of Lionel Messi for the Serie A side to pay such a fee, but it also was part of the Saints’ plan.

It’s said the Championship side set it that high to ‘protect their investment’, and it could very well be that his future rests on whether or not the St Mary’s residents manage to return to the Premier League come the end of the campaign.

What could also work in their favour is an interest in Matias Soulé, currently on loan at Frosinone, for whom Southampton were said to have come forward a few weeks ago.

As things stand, the young winger ‘would not consider’ a move to the Championship next season, but should Premier League football be on offer, any proposal from Southampton ‘would be carefully considered’ by both the player and Juventus.

Valued at €30-35m, if a deal was struck for that amount and money sent to Turin, the idea of signing Alcaraz suddenly becomes far more achievable.

Something to keep in mind.