According to the rumour mill, Saints are set to smash their transfer record to take Armando Broja on a permanent deal, however it is claimed they will face big competition from not only West Ham United but Newcastle..
The media has been buzzing this week with talk that Saints are looking to sign Armando Broja on a permanent basis and many pundits are now claiming that a club record transfer fee of around £25 million is to be offered.
But given that it is highly unlikely that Saints themselves are briefing the media about what they are and what they are not going to do, it is amazing how so many so called pundits have such insider information.
Certainly the two clubs have said little, certainly Ralph Hasenhuttl has indicated that any decision would be made in the summer claiming:
"In the end we need to make the best decision for the player, when it's a win, win, win for everybody, then we will find the right decision for the summer. As long as he is our player, we will have as much fun with him and make him better.”
That seems to suggest that both Saints and Chelsea are happy to wait until this loan deal is over and then discuss the options.
Thomas Tuchel had this to say :
"He is our player, he is doing good. But at the same time, it is only halfway through the season, so he needs to continue to improve and make his statement at Southampton."
That is very non committal from both manager's, that doesn't mean that a deal is not being discussed, but it shows that most of the transfer speculation is nothing more than that, just speculation.
Certainly it benefits the media to add a few other clubs into the frame, West Ham United have been claimed as about to make a late bid to snatch the player from Saints grasp and also Newcastle, but as we know the newly minted Geordies are linked with everything and the media would claim that they are signing Prince Harry if it gave them page hits.
A few weeks ago Broja was just getting on with his time at Saints, he was overshadowed by other players out on loan from Chelsea, notably Conor Gallagher at Crystal Palace, he has been raved about for the past couple of months yet doesn't seem to have attracted the same speculation this window that Broja has despite in scoring 7 League goals for the Eagles, having notched two more than his fellow loanee at Southampton.
Then there is also the question of whether Chelsea could actually sell him to West Ham this window, if there in no loan recall option then Saints would need to consent to letting him go back to Stamford Bridge by releasing him from the loan deal and only then could he be transferred to West Ham.
Chelsea seem to be happy with the current situation, although having dealt with Saints on two smooth transactions this season in the permanent moves of Tino Livramento & Dynel Simeu who left at the end of his contract, their is obviously contact between the two clubs.
That could be an advantage as Chelsea would want to have a similar buy back clause in place as they had with the Livramento , would West Ham or Newcastle be willing to have that clause inserted in the deal.
Finally there is the player himself, the media have also reported that his family themselves are very happy with the way Saints have treated him since he arrived and see that he has progressed since he has been here, they are said to be keen that he stays beyond this summer and that could be a big factor, although whether that means a further season long loan or a permanent move is unclear.
But the reality is that at the moment he is on loan, at the moment anything could happen, but as a starting point, both Saints, Chelsea & the player himself seem to want him to end the season here one way or another.