Newcastle winger, Ryan Fraser has been told he can leave the club in January and is actively trying to find a new club with a fee of around £8m being mooted.
Southampton are said to be interested in the former Bournemouth midfielder according to The Northern Echo.
The 28-year-old Scottish international has been nothing more than a bit part player at Newcastle under both Steve Bruce and Eddie Howe and neither manager ever saw the best of him. He always seemed to manage to put a shift in for Scotland, but then would come back to Newcastle carrying a knock that would keep him out of contention for his club which angered a lot of fans.
Fraser was one of those players I really wanted to see become a success, it’s clear there’s a player there, but it just never clicked for him at Newcastle and now it’s probably best for all parties if he’s moved on.
The positive is whatever fee we can get from Fraser is pure profit as he arrived on a free following his departure from Bournemouth, and an £8m fee would see about right in today’s market.
Southampton are struggling in the Premier League this term and bringing in someone with Fraser’s pace and creativity will be a good coup for them in their bid to avoid the drop. However, they will not be the only suitors for Fraser whose Premier League experience will be coveted by a few teams in a similar position to Southampton.
Of course, offloading Fraser would free up a squad space which is another good sign that Newcastle are definitely looking to recruit in January.