Manchester united's dithering over morgan Schneiderlin is now disrupting Saints transfer plans for the forthcoming season.
Saints were resigned to losing Morgan Schneiderlin this summer and having accepted that they had drawn up a list of quality replacements, but they have found that selling him is another matter as the player is finding out that when it comes down to it he isn't as highly rated by the top Premier league clubs as he thought.
No one begrudges Schneiderlin leaving Saints for a club in the Champions League after all he has given us 7 seasons of good service, but Saints arent willing to give him away and it seems that the only two clubs in the Premier League's Champions league contingent who have been linked with the player don't really see him as their primary target.
Arsenal despite being linked every summer since he arrived at St Mary's again have failed to put in a bid and Manchester united seem to be just playing Saints along and keeping the player warm in case they don't land their main target.
Ronald Koeman has confirmed that it is now around 3 weeks since United made an intial bid well under Saints valuation and that they have yet to return with another one.
Some Saints fans would feel relieved and think that Schneiderlin staying would be preferable than a new signing, that is probably true, but the reality is that the likelihood is that the situation will drag on and in a months time United or Arsenal having failed to land their first choices would return, entice Schneiderlin away and leave us struggling to sign a quality replacement.
That being the case Saints would prefer a quick ending to this saga so they can re invest the money in their own first choices, one of those is Jordy Clasie
Speaking to the Daily Echo Ronald Koeman said.
"Clasie is one of the players on the list what we have to replace Morgan Schneiderlin,"
"It's a good player, because it’s a young player, it’s an international Dutch player and he’s ready to make a step and to play and to show his qualities on a higher level than we have in the Dutch league.
"If Morgan goes, we need a player in that position and he is one of that.”
"If there is the interest in Morgan Schneiderlin then okay, but it has to be at the price that the club wants, because it’s one of the key players of our team," said Koeman.
"It’s an international player. But I don’t think it’s really a problem for Man United."
The dithering of Manchester United has lead some Saints fans to believe that this is the petty actions of Luis Van Gaal who is using the situation to continue his feud with fellow countryman Koeman.
Whatever the reasons, Saints want the situation sorted so they can get on with their own transfer dealings