Southampton rival Celtic for £6m Spurs transfer | OneFootball

Alfie Devine impressed on loan in the Championship last season

Southampton are preparing for their second successive campaign at Championship level after an unprecedented end to the 2025/26 season under Tonda Eckert.

Following a second relegation in three years from the top-flight, the German replaced Will Still as head coach on a temporary then permanent basis last winter, before the club went on to enjoy a remarkable run of results.

After beginning the calendar year in the Championship's bottom half, Saints only lost one competitive match from mid-January onwards to initially reach the play-off semi-finals against Middlesbrough, before the well-documented Spygate scandal ensued.

The Hampshire outfit, after winning their semi-final 2-1 on aggregate, were later expelled from the competition and handed a four-point deduction for the beginning of the now-current season, which gets underway on August 16th with a trip to Watford.

It still remains to be seen if Eckert will be granted the opportunity to lead Southampton into what would be his first full campaign in full-time management, with it being reported that the 33-year-old is still locked in discussions with the Football Association after they launched their own independent investigation into Spygate.

On top of such uncertainty in the dugout, it remains to be seen what the makeup of Saints' squad will be in just over a month's time, with the likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Shea Charles and Leo Scienza, in particular, impressing last season and, unsurprisingly, generating transfer interest.

However, it now appears as though the club are looking to make up for the potential loss of Charles, in particular, at present.

Southampton plot Spurs, Alfie Devine loan agreement as £6m Preston North End deal expires

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The aforementioned Charles, who was acquired from Manchester City three years ago, has been the subject of intense transfer interest from Leeds United.

The Whites were reported to have lodged a £23m bid for the Northern Ireland international's services, before it was revealed that the actual bid was lower than said valuation, and that Southampton are looking to recoup a sum in excess of that particular fee.

However, in a fresh report from Alan Nixon - via Patreon - it has emerged that Saints are rivalling Preston North End for the signature of Crystal Palace playmaker Justin Devenny, as well as League One side, Leicester City, but are also eyeing a potential loan swoop for Alfie Devine of Tottenham Hotspur.

Such developments are also likely to be monitored by the Lilywhites, who recently missed out on the chance to sign the highly-rated 21-year-old for a club-record £6m fee after an exclusivity period over a permanent deal with the North London outfit expired.

Last season, Devine ended the campaign as Preston's Young Player of the Year after providing eight goals and as many assists in 48 appearances across all competitions.

It has also been claimed by Football Insider that Scottish Premiership champions, Celtic, could also see a bid of between £4m and £6m accepted for the England Under-20 international who has only made two senior appearances for Tottenham thus far.

Southampton find themselves in an intriguing spot within Alfie Devine transfer battle

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Throughout history, Saints have a strong track record when it comes to enhancing the development of their own academy graduates, as well as players who have either been signed on permanent or loan deals at such a young age, which Devine would likely take into account as his next career step is weighed up.

It is hard to see him forcing his way into Roberto De Zerbi's reckoning at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium anytime soon, especially after Spurs completed an £85m transfer for Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United, while they continue to work on a deal to sign Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United.

That said, Spurs will still hold the most bargaining power over any deal, and if they still value Devine as a highly-rated midfielder for the coming years, a loan move to Saints does make sense despite the current managerial uncertainty, but a £6m fee from Celtic may also be extremely hard to turn down.