Southampton ‘were in’ for ‘unreal’ England star at St Mary’s

Southampton are “unlikely” to sign Sam Johnstone this summer, according to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay.

Ralph Hasenhuttl is hoping to sign another goalkeeper following the imminent departure of Fraser Forster, although Barclay doesn’t believe Johnstone will be the man to replace his England colleague.

What’s the latest news involving Johnstone?

With Forster on the verge of joining Tottenham and Willy Caballero out of contract, Saints need a keeper to provide competition and compete with Alex McCarthy, who recently made his return from injury.

Southampton were eyeing a deal for Johnstone in January, although with his contract expiring next month, they knew that waiting until the summer could see them land his services on a free transfer.

But Johnstone 6 ft 4, once described as ‘unreal,’ has been linked with both Tottenham and Manchester United, although the former withdrew their interest when Forster’s availability became apparent.

That appeared to improve Southampton’s chances of signing him, although Crystal Palace are also in the race.

As a result, Barclay doesn’t thinks Johnstone will end up signing for Hasenhuttl’s team this summer and expects them to look elsewhere.

What did Barclay say about Johnstone?

He told GIVEMESPORT: “It’s quite unlikely it seems, from what I’ve heard that Johnstone will go to Southampton.

“They were in for him, I don’t know whether that’s a matter of wages or what, because you would think he would be a good option, but I’m told it’s unlikely that Southampton will get him.”

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Which other goalkeepers could Southampton sign?

Southampton still have plenty of time to fill the void left by Forster, but they’ll want a second keeper signed long before the start of pre-season.

Saints had been linked with Manchester United’s Dean Henderson, although Newcastle appear to have won the race for the England stopper.

But the South Coast outfit do have other options. According to HampshireLive, they want to sign Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who’s never played above League One level, but he has established himself as Republic of Ireland’s number one, winning 10 caps.

Bazunu spent last season on loan at Southampton’s rivals Portsmouth, and earned high praise from Danny Cowley after missing just two league games all season.

Meanwhile, Fiorentina’s Bartlomiej Dragowski is another option for Saints.

The Poland international could be on the lookout for a new club after making just seven Serie A appearances last season having lost his place in the side following a hamstring injury sustained in October.

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