Southampton morning roundup: Charles saga, women’s fixtures, Münster friendly, Azón talks | OneFootball

Shea Charles dominates Southampton’s agenda, with Leeds threatening to step away unless the £30m valuation drops, while Crystal Palace are circling. Football Insider reports the Whites are prepared to pull out after bids around £20m and £23m were rejected.

Charles has signalled he fancies a Premier League shot, and Fulham’s earlier approach also fell short. A sale could still go either way before the weekend, and a fee near £30m could fund the striker the squad still lacks. Options remain with Flynn Downes, Cam Bragg and Caspar Jander.

Southampton’s women open at Durham in the Barclays Women’s Super League 2, one of the longer trips on day one. Simon Parker’s side host Ipswich at the Silverlake Stadium on 13 September for their first home match, and finish at home to relegated Leicester next May.

The men close their German tour against SC Preußen Münster on the first of August, with access on Saints Play priced at five pounds. Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat at Paderborn ended the pre-season winning run, and with Münster dropping into the 3. Liga last season, this looks a winnable send-off.

There is still no word from the FA after Eckert answered three Spygate charges earlier in the week. Southampton continue to back their head coach while any sanction is worked out.

Talks remain active with Como for striker Iván Azón. He is valued near £4.3m, though the fee under discussion sits closer to £8.5m, and he scored five for Ipswich on loan last season.

Source: Sainstmarching.com