These 2 Southampton FC players could follow Mateus Fernandes out of St Mary's as Crystal Palace chase move | OneFootball

Matheus Fernandes seems set to leave Southampton for Crystal Palace, and here are two other players who could be leaving St Mary's this summer.

Southampton have a lot of work to do this summer following relegation from the Premier League, with Mateus Fernandes now seemingly bound for Crystal Palace.

Facing relegation from the Premier League, Southampton will have a lot of work to do during the summer as they prepare for life back in the Championship.

They sacked their manager well before the end of the season, with it currently seeming likely that the former Reims and Lens manager Will Still will be stepping into the position.

It is inevitable at such a time that players will want to leave, and this seems to be starting with the suggestion that Matheus Fernandes is set to leave the club for FA Cup-winners Crystal Palace.

Football League World takes a look at two Southampton players that could follow Fernandes out of St Mary's this summer.

Kyle Walker-Peters

Speculation over the future of Kyle Walker-Peters at Southampton is nothing new.

Then-Saints manager Russell Martin told the BBC in August 2024 that he had been "resigned to losing" the player in that summer's transfer window before interest in him dried up.

But the 2024/25 season has been a catastrophe for the club and as long ago as the end of March, Head of Recruitment Johannes Spors also appeared close to resigned to losing Walker-Peters in an interview with the Southampton Daily Echo.

There will be no lack of interest in Walker-Peters, who signed for the club from Spurs on a half-season loan in January 2020 and then made the move permanent that summer for a reported £12 million fee. Since then, he's made 169 appearances in the Premier League and the Championship for the Saints.

Figures from SofaScore

It's been suggested that Spurs, West Ham and Fulham could all be interested in keeping the 28-year-old defender in the Premier League, and his departure on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract already seems more or less inevitable.

Jan Bednarek

Polish international Bednarek has been at St Mary's even longer than Kyle Walker-Peters, having first arrived there in 2017 from Lech Poznan in 2017 for a reported £5 million fee.

Over the eight years since then, he's made 223 League appearances for Southampton in the Championship and the Premier League.

At 29 years of age, Bednarek may well want to continue in a top-flight League, whether that's the Premier League or elsewhere.

He has 67 international caps, and dropping into a second-tier division may damage his chances of keeping his national team place, with Poland having already won their first two games against Lithuania and Malta in their attempt to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals.

Like Kyle Walker-Peters, Bednarek has attracted interest from elsewhere. Roma were reportedly close to signing him at the end of the January transfer window, while Besiktas are said to be among those currently interested.

Bednarek is not out-of-contract, having signed an extension with the club to 2027 last year, but it has been reported that he has a relegation release clause of £6m in his contract.

It has been reported that Will Still will be at Southampton's match against Arsenal this weekend, but how many of the players taking to the pitch for the Saints for this match will still be with the club next season is very much open to question.