‘In The Coming Weeks’ – Sporting Director Makes Admission On Southampton Star | OneFootball

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Southampton defender Yukinari Sugawara is facing a wait to see if Werder Bremen will try to keep hold of him beyond the end of his loan stint.

Sugawara arrived at Werder Bremen in the summer of 2025 on a loan deal which contained an option to buy for the German side to trigger.

It has been suggested that the German club want to negotiate with Saints to lower the price tag.

Since his switch from St Mary’s to the Bundesliga, the Japanese has made 31 appearances and chipped in with six assists from his right-back position in the league.

He was sent off against Hoffenheim at the weekend and that could be his final game for the club if no agreement is found.

Sugawara faces a wait to see what Werder Bremen want to do, with the club’s sporting director promising contact in weeks.

Clemens Fritz told German daily Bild: “We will be in contact with him and his agent in the coming weeks.”

Sugawara may well not be the only player to return from Germany this summer, as striker Damion Downs will return to St. Mary’s following a disappointing stint at Hamburg, in which he has failed to make a single goal contribution in 12 matches in the Bundesliga.

The Japanese had a far more successful stint, but the jury is very much out on whether Werder Bremen will keep him and whether their idea of acceptable terms are also acceptable to Southampton.

If Southampton can secure a return to the Premier League then the idea of heading back to St Mary’s could become much more attractive for Sugawara.

The 25-year-old was included in the latest Japan squad in March and will be looking to get the vote to head with the Blue Samurai to the World Cup this summer.

Japan have been placed in Group F at the World Cup, alongside the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia.