Southampton's Dragan Solak warned against paying 'a lot of money' for £8.4m ex-Ipswich Town man | OneFootball

FLW's Southampton fan pundit has given his reaction to reports that the club are in talks with Como over a potential €10m deal for striker Ivan Azon.

It has been a busy start to the summer for Southampton as they prepare for another season in the Championship.

After a fourth-placed finish in the Championship last season, Southampton booked their place in the play-off final with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Middlesbrough in their semi-final, but they were removed from the Wembley showpiece as a result of the 'spygate' affair.

Saints owner Dragan Solak confirmed last month that head coach Tonda Eckert retains his full support, but the German could still face a ban as he awaits the outcome of the FA investigation into his actions.

After signing former loanees Daniel Peretz, George Long and Cyle Larin on a permanent basis, Southampton made their fourth new addition of the summer this week as forward Lewis Dobbin arrived from Aston Villa for a fee of £9 million plus add-ons following his successful loan stint at Preston North End last season.

Despite spending big on Dobbin, it seems the Saints could be set to splash the cash again, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealing that the South Coast outfit have opened talks with Italian side Como over a potential €9-10 million deal for striker Ivan Azon.

Azon helped Ipswich Town to automatic promotion to the Premier League during a loan spell at Portman Road last season, but he scored just five goals and provided four assists in 40 games for the Tractor Boys, with exactly half of those appearances coming from the bench.

Southampton sent clear Ivan Azon transfer warning

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When asked for his thoughts on the potential signing of Azon, FLW's Southampton fan pundit Louis Harris admitted he has reservations about the move and questioned whether the reported fee is too much for a striker who does not have a prolific goalscoring record.

"This one is quite interesting," Louis told FLW.

"It seems like quite a lot of money to me given that he didn't have an amazing season with Ipswich.

"His goalscoring record is far from prolific.

"I don't think he's even played a game for Como.

"This looks like this is a straight Ross Stewart replacement, it sounds like Lewis Dobbin is going to be deployed more as a 10 or in a wide position.

"For me, it seems a lot of money, but I could be wrong.

"I know that a lot of fans weren't sold on the idea of Cyle Larin in January, but he seems to have turned that around and that has worked out."

Ivan Azon deal would be a big gamble for Southampton after Ipswich Town exploits

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It remains to be seen whether Southampton will agree a deal for Azon, but it is difficult not to feel that they would be overpaying if they spent as much as €10 million on the Spaniard, which would equate to around £8.5 million.

Azon chipped in with some important strikes for Ipswich during their promotion-winning campaign last season, but while he was regularly rotated with George Hirst, his tally of just five goals will ring alarm bells among the Saints fanbase.

If Azon is content to play a back-up role at St Mary's, he could be a useful option for Southampton to have in the squad next season to provide cover for Cyle Larin, but they should explore cheaper alternatives before committing to a deal for the 23-year-old.