Premier League outfit Southampton want Tete but could miss out on the Shakhtar Donetsk winger for the second time due to his sizeable wage demands, as reported by The Sun.
The Saints may be limping to yet another bottom-half finish but, while the present is anything but, the future looks bright at St Mary’s.
Both head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl and new owner Dragan Solak have talked publicly about taking Southampton to the ‘next level’ recently, the Serbian billionaire admitting to The Guardian that he plans to back his Austrian tactician with plenty of funds in the summer transfer window.
And Tete, a £17 million-rated Brazilian winger shining on loan at Lyon, is exactly the sort of statement signing that would represent a fitting beginning to the Solak era on the banks of the Solent.
According to The Sun, however, Tete’s wage demands are proving to be a rather sizeable obstacle as far as a move to England’s South Coast is concerned.
Southampton have held talks with the skilful wideman. But reaching an agreement over personal terms may be easier said than done.
SOUTHAMPTON IN TETE TALKS
The phrase ‘deja vu’ comes to mind.
Southampton missed out on Tete just a couple of months ago too, albeit for very different reasons. The Saints entered advanced negotiations with the Shakhtar Donetsk-owned star, only to see a deal fall through after the Premier League decided against letting players contracted to Ukrainian clubs move to England outside of the transfer window (Yahoo Sports).
Ligue 1 made no such ruling, however. Thus, allowing Lyon to snap up Tete on loan until the end of the season.
“Tete is a special player,” says Lyon coach Peter Bosz.
“I have known him for a long time. I was surprised to see that a player like Tete was signed by OL. Normally, this kind of player is unattainable for OL.”
According to talkSPORT, West Ham United are also interested in Tete. David Moyes reportedly believes the 22-year-old, who scored 10 goals in 28 games for Shakhtar in the first half of this season, can ease the burden on Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio at the London Stadium.
West Ham’s superior budget could give them the edge over Southampton too, with the Europa League semi-finalists boasting the financial muscle required to meet Tete’s wage demands.
