Now that the 2022 January transfer window has opened and the fact that Southampton have now been taken over by a company backed by Serb media mogul Dragan Solak with Sport Republic buying Gao Jisheng's 80% stake in the club, this could lead to some potential incoming transfer deals taking place this month at St. Mary's.

However, one potential outgoing transfer that has been talked about in recent weeks concerns Saints midfielder Oriol Romeu possibly making the move to fellow Premier League club Aston Villa.

With this in mind, it seems as though an encouraging claim has been made regarding this potential deal that Southampton fans will be very relieved to hear.

What's the latest?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Pete O’Rourke had this to say about the possibility of Southampton letting Romeu leave this month.

He said: "I don't think Southampton would be too keen to lose somebody like Romeu because the squad is quite thin as it is, so I don't think Southampton would encourage any offers for Romeu."

Since joining Southampton back in the 2015 summer transfer window from Chelsea in a deal worth £5m, the Spaniard has gone on to make a total of 231 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing four assists in the process.

With the 30-year-old having made at least 30 Premier League appearances in four of the seven league campaigns he's had at St. Mary's, it's safe to say that he has been a pivotal figure for the team since his arrival, making him a bargain signing for what they paid and what they've since got out of him.

In addition to this, with 17 league appearances under his belt so far this season, Romeu has managed to rack up an overall performance rating of 6.82/10, making him Southampton's fifth-highest rated outfield player according to WhoScored, further highlighting his importance to the team and why a potential exit this month would be catastrophic for Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Now that O'Rourke has claimed that Southampton may not entertain any potential offers they could receive for Romeu this month due to his significance to the team, this should put to bed any concerns the Southampton fans may have about his immediate future at St. Mary's. Consequently, they should be delighted that he looks set to stay on the south coast.

In other news: Hasenhuttl must unleash Armando Broja