Southampton to sell £18m-rated Onuachu in three-player swap

Southampton to sell £18m-rated Onuachu in three-player swap

Southampton owners, Sport Republic, have received an offer that could potentially help them fix a costly mistake in the signing of Super Eagles ace Paul Onuachu.

In January of last year, Southampton panic-bought the Nigerian for £18 million on transfer deadline day from Belgium side Genk. Standing at 6ft 8in, the striker was one of two signings that did not work out, and Southampton finished at the bottom of the league despite spending big in an attempt to ensure Premier League survival.

The other unsuccessful signing was Kamaldeen Sulemana, who was bought for a club record of £22 million from Rennes but only managed to score twice, both goals coming on the final day of the 2022/23 season when Southampton was already relegated.

Onuachu was loaned out last season and performed exceptionally for Trabzonspor, scoring 17 goals and providing four assists in 25 appearances in all competitions. Besiktas has made an offer to Sport Republic for Onuachu's services but is unwilling to match Southampton's valuation of around £12.6 million. Instead, Besiktas has proposed a deal that involves Southampton's sister club, Goztepe, as reported by Turkish journalist, Onur Atis.

According to Atis, Besiktas has made an official offer to Southampton, indicating that if they transfer Onuachu, they will give Javi Montero, Mustafa Hekimoglu, and Emre Bilgin to Goztepe. Mustafa will move to Goztepe on loan. This deal may cause concern among Southampton fans, as the club is unlikely to benefit from Onuachu's departure.

Sport Republic is the majority owner of Southampton, Goztepe, as well as the French club Valenciennes. The multi-club ownership model is controversial among football fans due to potential conflicts of interest and competing priorities.