Saints are warning off other clubs from bidding for Jay Rodriguez in the summer by putting a big price tag on his head.

According to the Manchester Evening News who would obviously have sources close to Manchester City, Saints have brushed off a tentative enquiry from City by saying that they will not entertain offers beneath £20 million for Jay Rodriguez.

This is a big price for a player who as well as entering the last year of his contract,has not played in over a year and would represent a big gamble for any club at that price.

But it does make a statement of intent from Saints who are wasting no time in showing that they will deal with things a tad differently this year than they did in the early stages of last summer when they got caught napping a little and situations with certain players occurred which did not repeat themselves later in the transfer window and certainly wont happen again in this coming one.

Saints are caught in a quandary with Rodriguez though, on one hand they will not want to see his contract run down and leave for nothing, but on the other hand they will not want to sell a player cheaply only to see him make a full recovery and go on to prosper.

That is why they probably see the best option as being to sit tight on him for the coming season, if it turns out he is not the player he was then they can assess his value to the club going forward, if he does recapture his form then perhaps the benefits of that will enable Saints to recoup their money through increased income from league position or Cup runs.

So that seems the likeliest scenario at present, but by slapping a big transfer fee on his head, Saints could also be seen as doing two things,firstly they are setting out their stall and making it clear on what price they will start to talk, unlike last season where Liverpool and Spurs seemed keen to try and lure our players away cheaply, but also they are saying that a big bid will perhaps tempt them.

That would perhaps be the best scenario, I think Saints would rather have £20 million in their pockets for Rodriguez, money that can be reinvested in the summer, rather than take the gamble on his fitness next season, I would say that as a club we would be just as happy with getting that cash for J Rod and using it to land Danny Ings or Charlie Austin to name but two targets we have been linked to, than gambling on Rodriguez.

In some respects its a no lose situation for Saints if the big bids come in, but the dichotomy is that it could also turn out to be a no win one as well.

So Saints need to play a tight game on this one and it seems that they have already started.

Photo: Action Images

sainti added 09:02 - Apr 22 I've always liked the word 'dichotomy', now I know how to spell it. Thanks Nick.
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dirk_doone added 09:25 - Apr 22 "But it does make a statement of intent from Saints who are wasting no time in showing that they will deal with things a tad differently this year than they did in the early stages of last summer." Really? This seems to be EXACTLY the same way we behaved early last summer, when we sold players for any big offer we got, and we did get VERY big fees for Shaw, Lovren and Lallana. It sounds like we've put Rodriguez in the shop window. Wouldn't it have been clearer that we didn't want to sell him if we simply said he's not for sale, rather than saying he's for sale and this is his price?

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bigmart added 11:52 - Apr 22 I'm sure in a pre match press conference a couple of weeks ago, Ronald Koeman said Jay would not be sold. I take what the media say with a pinch of salt, one minute Morgan is off to Arsenal and then not, Nat's agreed to join Man Utd, then not, Toby's off to Spurs, Man City, Liverpool and the rest, then he's going back to Athletico. I'll just wait for real news on the official website. I'm also sure that the likes of Man City will be buying English players just to meet the new FA rules and that players like Jay would just end up as a squad number with not much playing time, if bought.

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derbydog added 12:14 - Apr 22 I don't believe any of this. No manager/club will be allowed to buy jay until he is playing regularly again because until then He is uninsurable. No one will pay 20m plus on an unknown quantity who may not reach the heights he showed last year. Most sensible option is to extend his contract by a year and then review the situation next summer after jay has played for a season.

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BoondockSaint added 13:45 - Apr 22 Only the Scouse would be stupid enough to pay that type of money. If the story is true, Saints have just set a high price that leaves room to negotiate down. Any team with any sense is going to have performance clauses built in-including Saints if they extend his contract.
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Jesus_02 added 16:47 - Apr 22 Nothing really adds up for the Sale of Jay. Saints want too much and its too much of a gamble. Clyne on the other hand has a high stock and Morgan has had one boot out the door since last summer. Personally I don't think Jay will go, I also have a sneaky suspicion that Clyne wont go either. If rumours are correct in that we offered him £60k per week and he is on £25 we would already be saving £2m by letting his contract run down! Tactically it would not be the worst decision. The clubs that "need" a rightback (Man U, Liverpool) will surely buy someone else one if Clyne doesn't leave, Another season like we gave just had and Saints may well be Clynes best option.

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