Southampton transfer target Bright Osayi-Samuel has signed an extended deal with Championship side QPR.
Osayi-Samuel has signed a one-year contract extension with QPR, as his deal was set to expire in the summer, with it now running until the summer of 2021.
Football Insider reported last month that Southampton have been keeping tabs on the forward and are interested in signing him.
Speaking to QPR’s official website, director of football Les Ferdinand said:
When you are signing young players the contracts need to be long enough to protect the club while not too long that they can potentially take away their incentive to progress.
The extra one-year option which we have triggered gives us that ability to do both.
We will be continuing discussions with Ryan and Bright as we look to extend their deals further.
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This appears to be a blow for Southampton in their pursuit of the forward, with Osayi-Samuel now not being set to be a free agent in the summer.
Ferdinand’s comments could also dent the Saints’ chances, with him confirming that QPR are looking to further extend his deal and tie him down in the long-term.
The 22-year-old has impressed in the Championship for QPR this season and has racked up five goals and four assists so far. He has also averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 7 when playing as a right-winger in QPR’s team, showing that he has been performing to a high standard in the second tier.
This suggests that he could have potential and could be a good addition to Southampton’s squad in the mid-to-long-term if they were able to bring him in.
He is a direct winger who likes to drive at defenders and create space down the flanks in order to develop attacks and provide chances to his teammates, which could offer Ralph Hasenhuttl another option to choose from.
However, Osayi-Samuel signing a new deal and potentially being in talks to commit to an even longer contract suggests that Southampton could struggle to sign him in the next transfer window. That is unless Osayi-Samuel decides that he wants to leave QPR and come to the Premier League with the Saints.
