SAINTS SWOOP
Southampton plot £10m deal to sign Celtic midfielder Armstrong
SOUTHAMPTON are weighing up a move to make Stuart Armstrong their next £10million capture from Celtic.
The Scotland midfielder is entering the final year of his contract and, despite cautiously optimistic noises from Parkhead boss Brendan Rodgers over an extension, new Saints manager Mauricio Pellegrino has received favourable scouting reports on the 25-year-old.
Shortlisted for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award, Armstrong’s value has escalated after a strong domestic campaign and international recognition.
Celtic would command a fee of around £10m for a player signed from Dundee United for £1.2m, but won’t consider selling before the conclusion of the Champions League qualifiers.
Speaking last week, Rodgers said of Armstrong’s situation: ‘Contracts are always about length of time, or finances, but I am pretty confident the club and the agent will come to an agreement.
‘He’s happy here in this environment and he knows he is improving and developing. So let’s wait and see. He’s someone I’m keen to keep.’
The Scottish champions have already pocketed substantial sums from Southampton following the sales of Victor Wanyama, Fraser Forster and
Virgil van Dijk. In addition, the Parkhead club will receive a sell-on fee of between £5m and £7m if, as expected, van Dijk moves to Liverpool, Chelsea or Manchester City this summer. Meanwhile, Scott Brown insists he’s in for the long haul with both Celtic and Scotland. The Parkhead skipper wants to finish his career in Glasgow by signing a contract extension after the forthcoming Champions League qualifiers. And Brown has also pledged to play for Scotland as long as possible after reversing his international retirement. The 32-year-old is entering the final 12 months of his current Celtic contract and Rodgers has already broached the topic of an extension. ‘I would love to stay,’ admitted Brown, currently in the midst of Celtic’s pre-season tour. ‘I would love to finish my career here. ‘Whether that’s two, three, four years down the line, I would love to finish my career here. Playing in front of 60,000 at Celtic Park is the best feeling I have ever had. ‘Celtic know I’m not going to go nowhere. It is a good thing that the gaffer and I have got that relationship. ‘We sat down and spoke. He asked me and I said I would be delighted to do it again. ‘He said we’ll sort something out. We will wait until we get through the qualifiers. ‘We don’t want that to rumble on. We’ve got to focus on getting to the Champions League.’ Brown has also made a commitment to Gordon Strachan after deciding his body can cope with the demands of both club and international football. After briefly retiring from national duty, Brown returned for the 3-0 defeat to England at Wembley last November. Asked what his international intentions are, his last game being the dramatic 2-2 return with England at Hampden last month, he responded: ‘Keep playing. I’m enjoying it. ‘I spoke to Gordon and he said it was up to me. He said whatever my decision was, he’d back me.’