Saints are said to be finalising negotiations with Brazilian club Flamengo for transfer that will see around £16 million in cash plus midfielder Victor Hugo coming to St Mary's

sportwitness.co.uk are reporting that multiple media outlets in South America are claiming that Southampton are close to agreeing a deal with Flamengo for Charly Alcaraz.

They say that initially Saints were asking around £22 million on the nose for Alcaraz, but the current discussions are close to being concluded for around £16 million in cash plus Flamengo player Victor Hugo in exchange.

That is a significant profit on the £12 million paid for Alcaraz in January 2023, although it is also said that his former club in Argentina, Racing , will get 15 % of any profit.

Victor Hugo is a 20 year old attacking midfielder whose current value is about £5 million and he signed his current contract only 7 months ago taking him through to 2028.

He has just broken into the Flamengo side, although so far he has mainly been used as a substitute.

Obviously one for the future, given that we have just signed Mateus Fernandes.

I would be sad to see Charly leave, I think he has the ability to be a great player at the highest level, however for some reason Russell Martin does not seem to feel the same way and has rarely utilised his talents in a way that suits the player himself.

Photo: Action Images

halftimeorange added 10:28 - Aug 23 We can only speculate as to why RM is agreeable to Charly leaving. Maybe his sale is the best bet, at this late stage of the window, to generate some cash so that we can resolve the more urgent GK situation. Alternatively, perhaps his somewhat fiery temperament makes him difficult to manage in terms of playing the RM way. He always appears to want to go forwards even if that's not the best option and, therefore, does sometimes lose possession. Nevertheless, I'll be very sorry to see him go as we don't have many attack-minded players in our squad.

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sandywelsh added 10:35 - Aug 23 Alcaraz is one of our best players and we should be building a team around him not letting him go!!!! He has the skill to become a great player in the premier league. It would be better if we were getting a Keeper in exchange and not another midfielder.
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Bowlercow added 10:54 - Aug 23 I don't think Charlie has settled in Europe. Excellent player who gets you on the edge of your seat but not one that fits well into any system The same could apply to the player we are getting part exchange Brazilians are full of flair and are not the best at adapting to a system
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saintpete01 added 11:05 - Aug 23 Agree with all above sad to see Charly go An exciting player who will do the unexpected Will only get better and better not good business Saints
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IanRC added 11:18 - Aug 23 Only need to look at the difference that he made coming on at Newcastle to see this is a dumb decision. It is decisions like this that continue to sadly make me continue to doubt Russell Martin. I really want Martin to work out well but, given our dearth of creativity in the final third since Stu was allowed to leave, this seems extremely stupid if true. Yes we need a goalkeeper badly but do we really need all the defenders and midfielders we have bought in this window ?

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davenbennett added 11:28 - Aug 23 Martin don't like Alcaraz, fir whatever reason. My view is that it's prob combination of fiery temper, and losing the ball too much. But I member one game where Stu Armstrong list the vall I think 19 times. But he did it trying to drive forward, just like Akcaraz. The 3rd reason is probably not tracking back. It's part of the modern game. I wonder if a Le Tiss, Worthington, George, would get in a Martin side?

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darkangelv2 added 12:09 - Aug 23 Why is everyone’s assumption that RM doesn’t like Charly? Could equally be that Charly is looking for a way out. He’s a great player who can go on to big things but perhaps would prefer to do that nearer home.
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ExiledSupporter added 12:14 - Aug 23 Don't really understand why we want another expensive unproven midfielder with the same potential settlement difficulties that overseas players often seem to experience to our teams detriment. On the other hand spending this cash and the Mara income on an established attacking midfielder, especially the Celtic player, would make the loss of Alcaraz much more bearable and perhaps very worthwhile?

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SaintPaulVW added 12:25 - Aug 23 I like Charly but I struggle to think of occasions when he has actually done anything of real note in a game to justify that opinion. He clearly has a spark about him and I'm convinced is one for the future. Sorry to see him go but again like Mara, if the transfer fee helps to improve the squad, then it's for all parties benefit.
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codge added 13:00 - Aug 23 Pretty soon we could field 11 midfielders and just play them.
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Saidou added 13:23 - Aug 23 Charly offers us something different. Why are we hasty letting him out. I don’t understand…
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Farlow added 15:12 - Aug 23 I,m very sad to hear that we,re contemplating letting Charley go he will definitely Bea great player. One of the few players we have who is exciting to watch.
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Farlow added 15:12 - Aug 23 I,m very sad to hear that we,re contemplating letting Charley go he will definitely Bea great player. One of the few players we have who is exciting to watch.
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Colburn added 17:21 - Aug 23 We never really know what goes on behind the scenes. The fact he went out on loan to Juventus last season suggests that either he wanted to move on or there is an issue with him. So it may well be that he wants to go. Fantastic talent but every time he plays I’m scared we’re gonna be down to ten men. Getting yellow carded early in games has meant he’s had to tread carefully which impacts him and the team. Seems to be easily wound up and getting red carded in a friendly takes some doing. It is a shame because, like someone else has mentioned, we looked much more likely to unlock the Newcastle defence when he came on and drove directly. They were scared of him. Bit of a conundrum but I get the feeling that he just doesn’t fit the style of play or the dressing room connection. The money along with the Mara funds are probably needed to balance what we’ve already purchased.

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YosemiteSaint added 18:23 - Aug 23 No disrespect to Flamengo, but a player of his age and ability should be seeking playing time in Europe. There seemed to have been some interest there, but apparently it dried up.
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