Leganes are still chasing a deal for Guido Carrillo, and despite landing striker Martin Braithwaite from Middlesbrough, he remains their ‘priority’ target. Southampton want to sell their record signing, but it seems they face a dilemma.
According to claims from Spanish news outlet AS, the La Liga outfit are intent on adding the striker to their squad for the upcoming season having pursued a loan deal throughout the summer.
No agreement between the clubs has been reached, though, as Leganes push for another temporary switch, while Saints desperately try to cut their losses on what has been a cataclysmic failure of a transfer.
Read Southampton’s verdict
Selling Carrillo is the ideal outcome for both the club and the player, but it seems this just won’t be plausible. After recruiting him for £19 million, Saints will get nowhere near the outlay they forked out for him, and this deal is arguably the worst in the club’s history.
Carrillo made a total of 10 appearances for Southampton during the 2017/18 campaign in all competitions, chipping in with two assists and a grand total of zero goals. While his demise at St Mary’s has not solely been his fault – rather more the previous board and its haphazard decision-making – it has been a catastrophic move for all parties involved.
Ultimately, the failure falls not on the shoulders of the 28-year-old, but the likes of Les Reed and Ralph Krueger, who apportioned one of the club’s poorest ever managers, Mauricio Pellegrino, £19 million to spend on a player of his choice. It was always going to end in tears.
Now, somewhat unsurprisingly, Saints can’t shift Carrillo. Boca Juniors are keen, as per AS’ report, while Leganes are also pushing to sign him. But there is little chance of recouping a significant transfer fee, with another loan departure seemingly the most feasible avenue to explore.
Sending Carrillo out to Spain for the second season in a row is not ideal by any means. Southampton would surely rather sell him and move on, but to ensure that his wages are off the books for the 2019/20 campaign at the very least, Saints might just have to bite the bullet and accept Leganes’ proposal.
