Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has provided an update on the future of Danny Ings at St Mary's, which will delight the majority of Saints fans.

What's the word?

Ings has been heavily linked with a move away from Southampton this summer after it was revealed that he had rejected the offer of a new four-year contract with the Saints, due to his aspirations of playing in Europe in the near future.

The likes of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Chelsea have all been linked with a move for the England international throughout the summer, and given that his current contract is set to expire at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, it seemed likely that Southampton would cash in on him.

However, Hasenhuttl has now clarified his future with the Saints and assured fans that he won't be sold this summer, saying:

"He's our player for another year, we paid a lot of money for him. When we brought him here, we invested a lot to get him to the highest level and how he is at the moment. We stuck with him with all these injuries he had, gave him the time to recover, gave him the time to perform.

"There's no reason to sell him, but it's always a risk for the player when you go into your final year without a contract. That's why it's never good for nobody, not for us, not for him, because you never know what can happen in football - injuries can happen, which nobody wants."

Will Ings stay at Southampton?

From what Hasenhuttl suggests, the 28-year-old will remain at St Mary's this summer, with the Austrian perhaps still holding out hope that he will sign a new contract in the future rather than potentially losing him for nothing at the end of next season.

Considering he was Southampton's top scorer last season with 12 goals, despite suffering a number of short-term injury problems, you can see why Hasenhuttl is so keen to keep him at the club. They could seriously struggle if they lose a player of Ings' goalscoring ability and influence on the pitch.

The "outstanding" forward is a fan favourite at Southampton and Saints fans will be delighted to see him play for another season, even if it does mean potentially losing him for nothing in 2022.

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