Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has hinted Chelsea loanee Armando Broja should stay at the Saints beyond this season when his loan deal expires.
Broja has impressed for Southampton this season, and it's been reported the Saints would be willing to pay a club record £25m to keep hold of the striker.
The 20-year-old has netted five goals in his first Premier League season to date and this was lately topped off with his all round performance in the shock Man City draw that may have done the Blues a favour before this mini international break.
"I wasn’t really thinking about that [doing Chelsea a favour] to be fair," he said at the time.
"I was just trying to concentrate on the team today and trying to get the win. Just a positive result for us and we’re happy."
Amid all summer speculation surrounding a potential deal for the former Vitesse Arnhem man, football.london understands that if any deal was to be agreed in the summer between the two clubs, Marina Granovskaia would add a buy back clause in the negotiations like she did in the recent Livramento and Tammy Abraham situations.
Ahead of Southampton's return after the mini-break to domestic action where they host Coventry City at home in the FA Cup, the Austrian manager was keen to not let talk of a big Broja decision come the summer slip.
“He knows how important it is for him as a player to play continuously,” Hasenhuttl responded, unmoved by suggestions of heightened interest elsewhere from other Premier League clubs and sides around Europe, as per the Daily Echo.
“Here he gets that chance and has shown he fits to us and our shape.
“There are a lot of examples where players after changing clubs do not perform like they have done with us.”
The Austrian added: “It is important he knows this and that his agent knows this.
“We have a good relationship with Chelsea and are in good contact. He is their player. We have tried to develop him here, and I think we have."
“If they think we should do it another year and do not want to sell him in the summer, then there is no better spot to be,” he added, suggesting that Saints will lead the race for a further loan spell, if that is to be Chelsea’s decision.
“It is not always in our hands and if he or the club have any other ideas, it is how it is.”
And he's' totally spot on, it's not in their hands and one person alongside Granovskaia who will play a big part in whatever is decided is manager Thomas Tuchel who is reportedly keen to see Southampton's number 20 in pre-season training alongside Crystal Palace's Conor Gallagher before making the ultimate decision on their respective futures in west London, football.london understands.
"Armando's getting better and better, he's a very unique player with unique strengths in his game, he has speed, he's robust and he's a goal scorer," Tuchel said on the situation at hand last month in a press conference.
"First of all, now is not the moment to discuss the summer, it's the moment for him to stay calm and keep on improving."
