Southampton beat Wolves to £9m Aston Villa transfer agreement | OneFootball

Southampton are poised to win the race for Aston Villa forward Lewis Dobbin in a reported £9m deal ahead of numerous Championship rivals

Southampton are closing in on their fourth signing of the summer transfer window and it's the most eye-catching one to date, with Tonda Eckert's outfit having beaten off fierce competition elsewhere for a near-eight-figure capture from Aston Villa.

It has been a quieter start to the window than many had anticipated at Southampton, who have been able to retain all of their prised assets to date amid speculation surrounding the futures of Shea Charles, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Caspar Jander and Leo Scienza.

Southampton acted quickly to acquire both Daniel Peretz and Cyle Larin on permanent deals after the pair impressed on loan to help the Saints reach the Championship play-offs before facing expulsion as a consequence of the now well-documented Spygate saga - which will see the side start the upcoming 2026/27 campaign on -4 points - alongside the addition of George Long for further depth in the goalkeeping department.

Now, however, the Saints may feel as though they are making a statement signing, with new developments potentially set to bolster the promotion ambitions of Eckert's side while leaving a number of Championship rivals reeling ahead of next season.

Southampton set to beat Wolves in £9m Lewis Dobbin, Aston Villa transfer race

Southampton have emerged as the winners of the race to sign Lewis Dobbin, who had been one of the hottest properties on EFL transfer radars following an encouraging loan spell with Preston North End last term.

That's according to a new update on Monday morning from The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell via X, where it has been reported that Southampton have won the battle for the 23-year-old's forward's signature in a reported £9 million deal with Aston Villa.

It's said that Dobbin is now set to undertake medical proceedings today before officially completing his switch to Southampton, which will represent one of the most significant second-tier transfers to date this summer.

Just last week, both Southampton and Wolves both transpired as contenders for Dobbin's services, with the pair likely to be battling each other for promotion to the Premier League next time out alongside tussling for targets in the transfer market.

However, the Saints have stolen a march on a series of Championship rivals including Middlesbrough - who they beat in the play-off semi-finals after spying on in one of the EFL's most infamous sagas at the end of the previous campaign - to sign Dobbin as Eckert seeks to bolster his forward options heading into 26/27.

Dobbin enjoyed a breakthrough season on loan at Preston following previous, and less-eye-catching, temporary stints with the likes of Derby County, West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City, with the Everton academy product registering 10 goals and eight assists from 38 outings for Paul Heckingbottom's side.

On the scoresheet against Southampton in a 3-1 final-day defeat for the Lilywhites, Dobbin will bring impressive versatility to the Championship promotion hopefuls.

Capable of playing out wide, through the middle as a supporting striker or even in attacking midfield, the talented attacker's positional flexibility and multi-functional skilset will have doubtless been a big selling point for the Saints as they prepare to welcome his sought-after services to St Mary's Stadium.

Southampton fans react to £9m Lewis Dobbin transfer development

The impending capture of Dobbin has divided opinion among Southampton supporters, with the fee naturally representing a sizable and risky investment from the Saints.

This one fan certainly isn't against the signing, but does feel skeptical over the outlay that will be shelled out for Dobbin.

Similar sentiment was echoed from another supporter, who also rates Dobbin as a player while remaining cautious over the financial make-up of his imminent arrival in Hampshire.

There's another reason why many Southampton fans may welcome this signing, though, and that's because of the aforementioned interest from Middlesbrough.

No love will be lost between the two sides and fanbases following last season's Spygate drama, and with both sets of fixtures in the new campaign set to be hotly-anticipated already, Southampton supporters have taken the opportunity to laugh at Middlesbrough given that the Teessiders were strongly linked with Dobbin.

Whether Dobbin was really a top target at the Riverside Stadium is open to debate, but this fan is loving it either way.

Another fan believes the new development is representative of Southampton and Middlesbrough's places in the footballing food chain, with the Saints arguably remaining a more attractive destination while having stronger financial muscle than many of their promotion rivals.