Burnley set for potential blow as Bayer Leverkusen emerge in transfer battle for Southampton forward
The Clarets have had offers turned down for Tella after his loan stint at Turf Moor last season, but Leverkusen are now looking into a move
Despite some significant sales in recent weeks of players like James Ward-Prowse and Tino Livramento, Southampton’s squad at Championship level is still a strong one
Not only have they still got a lot of players who were on the books for them as a top flight outfit last season, they also welcomed back loanees from the 2022-23 season such as Nathan Tella.
Tella returned to the club over the summer at the conclusion of his loan spell away at Championship title-winners Burnley and he was prominent in Southampton’s opening match of the season against Sheffield Wednesday, firing a shot towards goal early on in the contest which was diverted in off Adam Armstrong’s head.
It is clear to see that Tella has a big future under Russell Martin’s management, but will he still be a Saints player come the 11pm transfer deadline on September 1?
The attacker was pretty coy on his future when he was interviewed after the Saints’ win over Wednesday over a week ago, with the most obvious destination if there is one being Burnley.
What is Burnley’s stance on a transfer move for Nathan Tella?
It has been made pretty clear that Burnley are still keen to strike a deal for Tella this summer – that is despite the amount of attacking and winger additions that they have already made.
Plenty of Clarets fans have been asking for Southampton to ‘free’ the 24-year-old after he seemingly enjoyed his time in Lancashire last season, and even their owner Alan Pace’s daughter created a maligned TikTok video regarding Tella – one which was later deleted.
As it stands, Burnley have seen bids rejected for Tella this summer, with Alan Nixon reporting via Patreon that a guaranteed £9 million with extra add-ons was turned down and that the club see his valuation between £15-20 million.
Nixon has also claimed that Southampton are set to offer Tella a new contract with a significant pay-rise in a bid to try and keep him at the club, but there may now be another threat arriving to the party.
What is the latest on Nathan Tella’s situation?
It isn’t just Burnley who are seemingly keen on Tella’s services as according to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail in his Transfer Confidential column Bayer Leverkusen have now entered the mix.
The Bundesliga outfit, who are managed by former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, sold Moussa Diaby recently in a big-money deal to Aston Villa and want another wide attacker to come into the club in his place.
And Tella has been identified as a serious target by the German club and they are now prepared to make an offer for the versatile attacker.
How long does Nathan Tella have left on his Southampton contract?
In January 2022, Tella signed a new long-term contract at St Mary’s Stadium, tying him down until June 2025 with the Saints.
That means he is still on the books for just under two years, so there is no desperate need to cash in on Tella by the Southampton hierarchy this summer.
It is likely though that Tella will only depart if a club matches their valuation, and with more than one team interested now their could end up being an auction for the best price.
