An update has emerged on Southampton striker Danny Ings, regarding Tottenham's interest in his services.
What's the talk?
According to Dean Jones of Eurosport, Tottenham are preparing to make their opening offer for Southampton number nine Danny Ings.
Spurs are said to have made him a priority target and are now on the cusp of submitting their first bid for his services. However, they are planning to offer below Southampton's £20m valuation before negotiating with them further.
Fans would be livid
Martin Semmens must avoid a Southampton nightmare by rejecting Tottenham's offer for Ings. He cannot allow the club's star forward to leave the club, especially for a fee that is said to be below the £20m valuation set by the Saints this summer.
Speaking of which, the £20m fee mentioned in this report is a concerning one.
Southampton reportedly paid £20m to sign Ings on a permanent deal from Liverpool and has been prolific over the past two seasons. He has scored 34 goals since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, which shows that he can find the back of the net consistently at Premier League level - a rare commodity.
Therefore, his value should have increased because he has proven himself at the top level.
His contract is up at the end of next season, but the cost of being relegated far exceeds the £20m loss Southampton would seemingly take if they allow him to leave on a free transfer.
A report in 2018 explained that relegation can cost a club at least £50m, which emphasises the point that £20m is too cheap to sell your best goalscorer. Losing his goals could increase the chances of Ralph Hasenhuttl's side going down, simply because the fewer goals you score the fewer points you are likely to rack up.
Former Premier League forward Clinton Morrison once called Ings “first-class” and compared him to Spurs legend Robbie Keane.
"Yes, I would say Danny Ings is top-four quality, most definitely. The season he's had at Southampton, if you put him in one of the teams at the top four, he'd easily score goals like that.
"I used to play with a striker who used to play like Danny Ings - Robbie Keane.
"I look at the way Ings plays at the moment, his movement is first class and I used to say to Robbie Keane, 'how do you get in behind defenders when you're not rapid?' His movement was first-class and Danny Ings is like that."
So, why should Southampton sell a player who is top-four quality and has proven that with his goal record for £20m, let alone under £20m?
Semmens must avoid making a major error with Ings this summer by either upping his price tag or doing everything he can to keep hold of the England international.
AND in other news, Semmens could find Mane 2.0 in £35m “exceptional talent”, Saints fans would adore him...