Forward wants Saints stay
Speaking to The Daily Echo, Saints striker Graziano Pelle has claimed that he wants to stay at the club and does not want to leave, contrary to reports.
Pelle had been linked with a move to AC Milan and was thought to be keen on the switch. Yet, that now seems very unlikely with these recent comments from the Italian forward.
The 30-year-old has been at Southampton for almost two seasons now and his contract does expire at the end of next season. This has led to rampant speculation on his future at the club.
It looks improbable that Pelle will be given a contract extension given his form and standing in the team at present. Pelle has scored a goal in over 800 minutes of Premier League action and has to compete with Shane Long, Jay Rodriguez and Charlie Austin for a starting place.
However, despite all of this, Pelle has said he wants to stay:
I’ve never spoken about going away but there have been voices from journalists.
It’s nice to hear, it means you’re doing something well, but I never really thought of going anywhere else while I’m contracted to Southampton.
I’m not that stupid to hope to go away. The Premier League is the best competition and Southampton is a really good club to settle in.
Everyone is friendly, people are behind you. Hopefully I will stay here, we’ll see how it goes.