Southampton & Leicester City placed on Sunderland AFC transfer alert | OneFootball

The newly-relegated clubs are both in the market for a new shot-stopper

Southampton and Leicester City are both eyeing up a loan swoop for Sunderland goalkeeper, Anthony Patterson.

That is according to a fresh report from Alan Nixon via Patreon on Sunday morning, with both sides struggling for form ever since being relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season.

Indeed, the Foxes and Saints were among the clubs to swap places within English football's top two divisions ahead of the current campaign, whilst Patterson's current employers ended an eight-year exile from the top flight by defeating Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final on May 24th.

The Black Cats have flown out of the traps in the opening two-and-a-half months of the campaign too. However, the homegrown shot-stopper is yet to make his Premier League bow under Regis Le Bris, which has left his immediate future somewhat jeopardised ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

Leicester and Southampton both oversaw major squad reshuffles following their immediate falls back into the EFL, with the goalkeepers' union at the King Power Stadium and St Mary's certainly falling into said category.

Despite those changes, the Foxes and Saints were both tipped to be amongst the cluster of sides fighting for promotion, but such fortunes are yet to transpire after the opening 13 rounds of league matches.

Both sides suffered 2-0 defeats on home turf against Lancashire-based opposition on Saturday, with a 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers leaving Marti Cifuentes' side in 14th, whilst a loss by the same scoreline against Preston North End only increased pressure on Will Still as Southampton dropped to 21st.

With defensive form a continuous worry, such links involving Patterson may ease concerns in the short-term.

Southampton FC, Leicester City plot moves for Sunderland's Anthony Patterson

Nixon has claimed the newly-relegated duo are plotting moves for the 25-year-old ahead of the turn of the year, when clubs have a shortened opportunity to do business in order to achieve their short-term aspirations.

The report claims that Leicester are most likely to land Patterson's signature at present on a loan basis, with Jakub Stolarczyk currently the main figure between the sticks for Cifuentes following Mads Hermansen's high-profile departure to West Ham United in the summer transfer window.

The report also cites that Southampton's interest also stems from the fact the North Shields-born man emerged as a potential signing following Still's off-season appointment, with the 32-year-old already overseeing mass change within his goalkeeping department.

Gavin Bazunu was reinstated as Saints' first-choice goalkeeper at the start of the campaign following Aaron Ramsdale's temporary switch to Newcastle United. Yet, after a struggle for form, the Republic of Ireland international has since been replaced by the vastly-experienced figure of Alex McCarthy, who has only been able to keep one clean sheet of his own in seven league appearances so far this season.

It must be noted, though, that in previous reports and Nixon's fresh update, that the status of a potential deal for the South Coast side, be it permanent or temporary, is yet to be disclosed.

Remarkably, the aforementioned potential bidding war between the two Championship sides isn't the only transfer rumour we have seen involving them and a move for a Premier League goalkeeper.

It was reported in September that the two sides were eyeing up an ambitious loan move for James Trafford, who, like Patterson, has struggled for regular minutes since rejoining Manchester City in the summer after a record-breaking promotion season with Burnley last term.

It's fair to say that Patterson's dream would also have been to feature regularly for the Mackems in the top-flight after being a mainstay in League One and the Championship during the North East side's well-documented rebirth, keeping 41 clean sheets in 133 second tier appearances during said timeframe.

However, it seems hard to envisage a way in which he ousts Robin Roefs from the starting lineup, with the Dutchman proving to be an inspired signing from NEC Nijmegen.

According to Capology ESTIMATES, Patterson is only collecting a base wage of £20,000 per week too, making him an attractive signing from a financial standpoint too, even if Southampton or Leicester had to cover the salary for a half-season period.