Saints are said to be about to agree terms with a Brazilian defender, but it looks like it could all be a bit complicated, not to metion it will overload us in the position he plays.
sportwitness are reporting that the football media in Brazil are claiming that Southampton have agreed terms with Sao Paulo left back Welington Damascena Santos, who like many of his fellow countrymen uses just a single name in this case Welington.
One good omen though is that his surname Santos when translated from Portuguese to English is "Saints".
However there are a couple of complications with this deal.
Firstly the player is out of contract at the end of the Brazilian season in December, so there is the little matter of whether he would come now or in the January window.
If his club was to release him now, then they would be looking for a fee whereas he could potentially join for free in December.
The second complication is that he is a left back and it will overload us in that department, at the club last season we had the injured Juan Larios, Ryan Manning & Jack Stephens covering that position and we have already signed Charlie Taylor from Burnley, so the arrival of Welington would essentially give us 5 options in the position.
Eyebrows will be raised in this deal as the defender is hardly a signing that will provoke excitement, turning 24 in the coming January, he is not exactly a household name outside of Brazil, although he has been a regular in Sao Paulo's team over the past few seasons and has racked up 7 League appearances, he has never been anywhere near the Brazilian full International side and has gained just one cap at U23 level.
sportwitness say that
"Southampton have moved to secure his signature, with the player accepting a four-year offer from the Saints.
"He is expected to sign a pre-contract agreement with them in the coming days and has not yet informed São Paulo of the decision. They had been preparing a contract renewal for the left-back but have seemingly been caught on their heels by Southampton, who have moved to get him on a free transfer later this year.
"If they want to sign the left-back this summer they will have to pay for his early release, although TNT Sports offer no price should that be what the Saints want to do.
"Perhaps the plan is to get Welington signed to a pre-contract agreement and then approach São Paulo, knowing the Brazilian club will be forced into a sale to avoid losing the player on a free."
Whatever the situation, it does not look an ideal situation and one that seems a little strange given the options that we have in this area.