How Southampton FC really feel about signing Cyle Larin permanently | OneFootball

Southampton's stance on turning Cyle Larin's loan stay at St Mary's into a permanent one has now become clearer in a fresh update

Southampton now have one eye on gazumping Ipswich Town for an immediate return to the Premier League amid a remarkable turnaround under Tonda Eckert, which has seen the south coast outfit emerge as last-ditch automatic promotion contenders while making it all the way to the FA Cup semi-finals.

A turbulent campaign has been put right by the German boss after replacing Will Still, with Southampton having not tasted defeat since the middle of January.

They are firmly underway with an 18-match unbeaten streak, which has closed the gap between Eckert's side and second-placed Ipswich to just three points. The Tractor Boys do, of course, have a game in hand, but their shock 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth on Tuesday evening has got many a tongue wagging in Hampshire and Southampton will welcome Town to St Mary's at the end of this month in a crunch showdown.

That will come just days after Southampton try their hand at Wembley for a route to the FA Cup final, where they will face off against Manchester City after defeating Premier League leaders Arsenal in a major scalp two weeks ago.

Southampton are, across the board, enjoying a rich vein of form and the same can be said for Cyle Larin, who arrived on loan from Mallorca as a deadline day replacement for Adam Armstrong following the talisman's sudden departure to Wolves. The 30-year-old has proved an astute acquisition to date, finding the back of the net on five occasions from 12 Championship appearances - just seven of which have been starts.

With three strikes in his last five league outings, talk has been swirling over a potential long-term future on the south coast for Larin and now, as Southampton continue to make serious strides towards returning to the top-flight, the club's stance on landing the striker's signature on a full-time basis has become clearer.

How Southampton FC feel about signing Cyle Larin permanently from Mallorca

In a fresh update revealed by Spanish outlet Cadena Ser, it has emerged that Southampton will make a play to sign Larin permanently once the summer rolls around.

It's said that Larin does not intend on returning to Mallorca ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, having scored just 14 goals from 76 outings for the La Liga side before being sent out on loan to Feyenoord in September of last year.

The report details how Southampton have a €4 million (£3.4 million) purchase option for Larin, which Southampton are said to be looking to exercise.

The Saints will reportedly "make an effort" to sign the frontman permanently, although it remains to be seen what sort of competition they may face and whether he will intend on putting pen to paper on fresh, full-time terms if the Saints fail to achieve promotion back to the Premier League.

You do get the impression that Southampton's impending efforts could be dealt a further blow if Larin excels at the World Cup with host nation Canada, for whom he has notched 30 goals in 88 caps to become his side's all-time leading goalscorer.

Southampton FC could land bargain Cyle Larin transfer

The reported purchase option for Larin represents an obvious bargain for Southampton, whose savvy recruitment has already led them to a player who may have been overlooked by other competitive Championship clubs.

Recruiting Larin as Armstrong's successor was a risky gamble from the Saints, and it's one which supporters were heavily skeptical of at the time, but the decision has paid off handsomely and there's little denying that, at that price, a permanent transfer could prove great value for money.

It's less clear whether Larin would be capable of making the step-up to Premier League football if Southampton get there, despite the fact he has no shortage of top-flight experience throughout a globe-trotting career that has taken him from the MLS to Türkiye, Belgium, Spain, Holland and now England.

However, if another campaign in the Championship awaits then this would most certainly be a no-brainer transfer for Eckert's side to explore.