Ross Stewart to leave Southampton as retained list confirms summer exit | OneFootball

Ross Stewart will leave Southampton this summer after the club released their retained list for 2026/27. The Scotland striker is currently on World Cup duty.

The Scot was part of the Saints squad that reached last month’s play-off final, but they were eliminated after a spying scandal involving Middlesbrough. Southampton now face another season in the Championship.

Stewart made 33 appearances in 2025/26, scoring 11, and departs with 50 games and 12 goals in total. The option to extend his contract was not taken. He joined in 2023 and, after injury-hit campaigns, showed glimpses on returning to fitness earlier this year following a fee in the region of £10 million.

He was a fan favourite on Wearside, scoring 40 in 80 outings for Sunderland, including a crucial strike at Wembley in the 2022 League One play-off final.

His next destination is unclear. “Ross has got a lot of qualities - his size, his strength, he’s very quick. What's rare in a centre-forward nowadays is that he wants to run in behind as well. He’s different to what Celtic have got. If he is going to leave Southampton, there will be a lot of clubs that will be interested in him.”

He was speaking to the Daily Record.

Source: Sunderland Echo