AC Milan, Inter Milan, Arsenal and Liverpool are all in the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan N’Dicka according to the media, now it is claimed that Saints will join them.

Calciomercato.com‘s Daniele Longo has confirmed the interest of the aforementioned clubs adding that the Bundesliga side are likely to ask for a fee of around €25million to sell the young centre-back this summer.

Now, Sky have claimed (via MilanNews) that Saints are also in the race to land the 20-year-old.

Some will sneer that we have no chance of signing him if we are up against the likes of these so called super clubs, but that is not always the case.

It is times like this when you find out of a player or more importantly perhaps his agent is chasing money or success, for a 20 year old like N.Dicka

The French U21 International joined Eintracht Frankfurt from Auxerre in July 2018 and has played in the Bundesliga 42 times so far, 15 of which have been this season, this means that he is an undoubted talent but does not have the experience to step straight into the first team of a top top club.

Comparisons can be drawn with Virgil Van Dijk's move to St Mary's back in 2015, Liverpool were also said to be interested, but failed to bid, they didn't take him off their radar they merely were prepared to wait and indeed pay more to get a player who in 2015 was untried in a top league, but in 2017 had proved himself in the Premier League and was now ready to step up.

That is where Saints fit in nicely in the transfer market and where hopefully players and their agents see the benefit of continuing their footballing education at a club like Southampton to prepare themselves for a bigger move.

This will perhaps provoke uproar in some who will say we have to stop being a selling club, but I have been saying for 6 years now that being a selling club is the only way forward for clubs of our size.

If we are not selling players, that means we have no one that anyone wants, some are very naive if they think that merely telling a player he is not leaving is the end of the matter, we have to play the game to our advantage not try to fight against it or indeed even drop out of it.

Therefore our job will be to convince Evan N'Dicka and his agent that if he plays for us and gets the experience and reputation that Van Dijk did here, then he will be able to command a far bigger financial package when the big clubs come calling.

Liverpool and the top English clubs are littered with £25 million signings that never quite make the grade as they can't get regular games in the side and whose career does not hit the peaks it really should have.

We will perhaps find out later in the summer if N'Dicka and his agents ambitions are for footballing or financial success.

Photo: Action Images

inthebox added 13:37 - Apr 26 If he goes to a so called big he'd be out on loan in no time
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Peterx added 14:53 - Apr 26 I think this article is spot on. but loan with a buy clause may be a better way forward. That way if it does not work out we don't have a £25 million player on our books that we cant shift.
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underweststand added 15:57 - Apr 26 I'm surely not alone in hoping that this can be a good deal. Since we lost Fonte and VvD its been hard to find a CB worth the shirt..In reality the best CB's have always come in pairs and looking back over the last 10 years - It was always FONTE...and Jaidi...and Hooiveld ..and Yoshida ..and Lovren...and Alderweireld and then of course... Van Dijk. ....after which it was left to the ever-faithful Yoshida to try and cobble together a new (although less successful) partnership with Stephens and Hoedt ...and Vestergaard, although the last two were clearly very expensive catastrophes both on the field ...and subsequently to the clubs finances. It seems that Jan Bednarek (who could hardly get on the bench in Mark Hughes reign) may be developing into a worthy successor but with only Jack Stephens to pair with we still have no reliable cover in the back line that we can depend on. Personally I'd like to see Jack S. playing defensive MF in front of the back 4 (a role not unfamiliar in his Academy days) ..as he is very creative - and not afraid of a tackle. Whatever the outcome we need a good new CB partnership - with the creativity of an Alderweireld and the " frightening power " of a Svensson. (I'm sad to admit we may never get another VvD)..but in today's market ..What do you expect for ONLY £25 mill.?

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saintmark1976 added 18:51 - Apr 26 Perhaps I'm missing something and if so I will be delighted for somebody to put me right but how exactly are we going to buy anybody as things stand? According to all current evidence the owners require the club to be self sufficient and they won't invest their own money. The least worst current scenario appears to be that the current season will be completed behind close doors which suggests that the club will have to offer a refund to 20000 odd season ticket holders who will be unable to attend the four outstanding home fixtures. It's surely going to be almost impossible to offer a credit against next seasons ticket when there is every indication that football will be played without spectators to at least the end of 2020. Who exactly is going to renew their ticket and pay money to be denied access to St Mary's and watch nothing for the foreseeable future? Whilst I appreciate that the club may well have access to broadcasting money going forward the club made a loss of £35 million pounds in the last accounts and that was with ticket and commercial revenue.

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SaintPaulVW added 13:11 - Apr 27 I'm also struggling to see us spending very much if anything at all. The payment of deferred wages and potential reduction in home ticket money are going to weigh heavily on us. Academy graduate or a good loan move may be it for this summer. :(
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