Saudi club is reportedly ‘hoping to persuade’ Southampton player to join them this summer.

Southampton will be aiming to make key additions to their squad ahead of their Premier League comeback, but they must also consider potential exits.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis has been the club’s first summer signing, with his permanent transfer announced alongside promotion, with Ryan Fraser anticipated to follow soon.

However, they may now face an uphill battle to persuade one of their key players from last season to continue with the club beyond this summer, since a third competitor has entered the race for this player.

Given that he has had a new contract offer on the table for the most of the season, it is commonly assumed that Che Adams will depart Southampton when his current contract expires this summer.

However, when Southampton recently revealed their retained list, it was surprising to see the club confirm Stuart Armstrong’s departure following the expiration of his contract, while Adams was still in talks with the club.

The 27-year-old has been the target of frequent transfer rumours for the past two seasons, and his contract predicament has just fueled the fire.

Wolves and Nottingham Forest were supposed to be the two clubs vying for his signature, but now an unexpected third club has joined the battle.

Saudi club adds Che Adams to ‘list of targets’

If Southampton had failed to achieve promotion in the play-off final against Leeds United, Adams would almost certainly have gone this summer.

Promotion allows for a stay, although it appears unlikely that the Scotland striker will stay at St Mary’s.

Adams is unlikely to make a decision on his future until his international duties conclude this summer, when Scotland’s Euros campaign begins against hosts Germany on June 14th.

Now, it appears that he may have another offer to consider, as journalist Ben Jacobs revealed on ‘X’ that a Saudi Arabian team is interested in signing the player who scored 15 Championship goals this season.

Jacobs wrote: “Exclusive: Al Shabab have added Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Che Adams to their list of targets, along with Rafa Silva.”

🚨 Exclusive: Al-Shabab have added Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Che Adams to their list of targets, alongside Rafa Silva.

Al-Shabab have been one of the most active Saudi clubs so far this summer and are now hoping to bring in at least two big names in the coming weeks.… pic.twitter.com/kpAL2gihXo

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) June 12, 2024

Al-Shabab has been one of the more busy Saudi clubs this summer, and they hope to sign at least two prominent players in the coming weeks.

Aubameyang is a long-term Saudi goal. Adams is being chased by Wolves and Nottingham Forest, but Shabab hopes to persuade him to relocate to Saudi Arabia instead.

Shabab has been working on Silva since early May, as reported last month.

Adams is likely to turn down the Al-Shabab transfer.

While the riches of a move to Al-Shabab may be attractive, Adams’ decision would be somewhat surprising.

At 27, the striker is in the prime of his career and appears to have had his heart set on returning to the Premier League since Southampton’s relegation in 2023.

Wolves have long been interested, and they are a solid team under Gary O’Neil, while he has the potential to be a major player at both Nottingham Forest and Southampton.

Many football players have astonished fans by moving to Saudi Arabia during their peak years, like Wolves’ former captain Ruben Neves.

This news has complicated the continuing controversy around Adams’ future, but Southampton will be hoping for a quick conclusion because they may need to move on from Adams very soon.

In other news, Southampton is closing in on signing.