Paul Onuachu returned to Southampton last summer after a season-long loan spell at Trabzonspor.
The striker wasn’t key for Russell Martin and was limited to 134 minutes from seven games under his orders. In December, Southampton replaced Martin with Ivan Jurić, and the 30-year-old has featured in every league game under the Croatian.
Onuachu has less than 16 months left on his contract and Southampton had opened talks for a renewal.
That’s according to Africa Foot, who state the Saints suspended discussions for the new contract last week.
The frontman got an assist in his side’s 2-1 league defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend. Southampton are bottom of the table with nine points, 17 points behind 17th placed Wolves.
The Premier League club initially considered offering a new three-year deal to the Nigeria international but have reportedly decided to put it on hold.
Southampton plan to get rid some of their experienced players in the case of relegation. CMG Sports represents Onuachu and a source close to the agency has told Africa Foot about their disappointment over the Saints’ latest decision.
‘We received a message on Friday informing us that discussions regarding Paul were suspended until the end of the season,’ a source said.
‘The club first wants to secure the future in the Premier League before making a decision. Obviously, we are disappointed because we always prefer to have clarity and stability for the player, but we respect their position.’
