Southampton submit new €8m bid for Köln striker Damion Downs | OneFootball

The Kölner Stadt Anzeiger reports that Southampton have gotten very serious about acquiring FC Köln striker Damion Downs. Having already tendered a €5m offer two weeks ago, the Saints are now upping their bid to €8m. The newly promoted Bundesliga club may find this offer impossible to turn down.

The German newspaper does note that no decision on Downs’ future is expected until after the USMNT international is done representing the USA at the current CONCACAF Gold Cup. Moreover, Köln remain serious about tying the 20-year-old down to a long term contract.

The Anzeiger quotes pervious chief Köln personnel officer Christian Keller (since dismissed) in order to furnish an update on Downs’ situation. Though he is no longer with the club, Keller confirmed that his staff have been negotiating with Downs since last autumn.

The Anzeiger pulls Keller quotes from a recent joint interview with other local newspapers, the Kölner Express and the Kölnische Rundschau.

“Damion Downs has an offer to extend his contract that would make everyone’s ears prick up,” Keller explained in the separate interview. ”The FC talks with his entourage have been going on since late fall.”

It stands to reason that Keller’s successor, Thomas Kessler, has continued to court Downs with everything a player in his situation desires. Namely, things such as a hefty pay raise and flexible exit clause.

The fact that die Geißböcke could potentially purchase two more worthwhile strikers with the amount the EFL Championship club is offering may nevertheless render further negotiations with Downs moot.

Downs currently maintains an estimated €6m market value.

GGFN | Peter Weis