Southampton knocked back in hopes of purchase option for Takumi Minamino

Southampton attempted to convince Liverpool to include an option to buy in the agreement which saw them take Takumi Minamino on loan for the rest of the season, but the offer was turned away by the Reds, according to The Athletic.

The Saints endured a hectic transfer deadline day, seeking to bring in a new defender to help bolster their numbers in the full-back positions. However, moves for both Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Japhet Tanganga failed to materialise, while a late effort to take Neco Williams on loan from Liverpool was also knocked back.

In the end, their business was done late on, with Shane Long heading to Bournemouth on loan and Yan Valery loaned out to Birmingham City. There was one arrival, though, with the Saints agreeing a loan fee which could rise up to £500,000 for Minamino, and they will also pay all of the Japan international’s £75,000-a-week wages, per The Athletic.

Southampton also attempted to get Liverpool to include an option to buy into the deal that would have seen them get the chance to make the move permanent in the summer. However, the Premier League champions rejected that proposal, with Jurgen Klopp still believing the 26-year-old – who was signed from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020 for £7.25m – has a future at Anfield, as reported by The Athletic.

Read Southampton verdict

Minamino looks like a potentially exciting addition for the Saints, even if it was out of the blue and there are other areas of the squad which may be more of a priority. The 26-year-old is used to playing in a similar sort of high-intensity pressing style that the Saints deploy under Ralph Hasenhuttl from his time at both Liverpool and Salzburg.

The Japan international will arrive highly motivated to prove his worth to his parent club and show that he can be a consistent performer in the Premier League. He will also offer Hasenhuttl more flexibility, being able to play in numerous positions in the attacking third. It would have been an even better deal had they managed to agree that option to buy.

However, you can understand why Liverpool rejected that and it shows that he has a lot of quality if the Reds still have faith in him. Southampton will hope he can prove worthy of that faith with his performances on the pitch for them during the second half of the season.