Southampton man set for European transfer move | OneFootball

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In an unsurprising turn of events, Southampton have overseen a significant squad exodus following their relegation from the Premier League in the 2022/23 campaign.

The Saints have netted well in excess of £100m through the player sales that have been sanctioned, leading supporters to hope that Russell Martin's project will be financially facilitated.

The likes of Mislav Orsic, Ibrahima Diallo, Mohammed Salisu and Duje Caleta-Car have all left following varied success with the club, with their exits providing little shock.

There has been scarce surprise at Romeo Lavia and Tino Livramento both leaving for Chelsea and Newcastle United respectively, whereas long-serving skipper James Ward-Prowse brought his loyal service to an end by moving to West Ham United - and those moves have pocketed Southampton their biggest cash windfalls across the present transfer window.

Nathan Tella, who started three of Southampton's opening four games, is the latest departure from Hampshire as he signed with Bayer Leverkusen over the weekend, having attracted an array of interest all summer courtesy of some blitzing displays while on loan with reigning second-tier champions Burnley last time out.

But it does not appear as though Tella will be Southampton's final player departure either, with defender Romain Perraud believed to be closing in on a return to Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice.

Southampton's Romain Perraud to OGC Nice

This is according to French outlet Nice-Matin, who have reported that Les Aiglons are set to complete the signing of Perraud imminently.

It is said that the 25-year-old will undertake a medical on the French Riviera today before signing a loan deal with the club, with an option to make the move a permanent one at the end of the season.

Nice-Matin have also revealed that the buy option is "very economically accessible", which suggests that Southampton may make a notable loss on the reported £10.3m figure that they forked out to Brest for his services two years prior, fending off interest from the likes of Newcastle United, Leeds and West Ham at the time.

Perraud, who came through the Nice academy, was not the club's first option, and they had initially set their sights on Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne instead.

Digne had fallen down the Villa Park pecking order following the capture of Alex Moreno from Real Betis, but positive performances in the early stages of the current season that have included a triple-assist haul away to Hibernian have seen him reinstate his place in the starting side, causing Nice to avert their admiration in a different direction instead.

How has Romain Perraud performed for Southampton?

All things considered, Perraud routinely proved to be a reliable option for Southampton during his two years with the side.

Dynamic and attack-minded, he often supplemented extra width and pace into their forward plays by pushing up from left-back, with these qualities making him one of the few bright sparks in the Saints' fated relegation campaign.

Five strikes in 60 appearances for a defender highlights a goal threat too, although Martin has preferred Ryan Manning in Southampton's opening encounters.

Martin reunited with former Swansea City starlet Manning over the summer, who has played every single minute of league football to date.

This has left Perraud very much on the periphery, and he is yet to play in the Championship, meaning that moving him on does appear the most sensible option if he is not in the manager's plans - regardless of whether that is right or wrong.