Turkish Superlig side Trabzonspor have reportedly ended their pursuit for Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu.
The Nigerian international joined Trabzonspor last season on loan from returning Premier League outfit Southampton after their relegation to the Sky Bet Championship in the 2022/2023 season.
The 30 year-old joined the south coast club in last year’s January transfer window in an £18.6 million move from Jupiler Pro League side Genk, which turned out to be a difficult spell during which he was unable to register a single goal in 12 appearances.
After a successful campaign at the Papara Park during which he registered 17 goals in 25 appearances, the Turkish club were keen on keeping the towering striker at the club and had been in protracted negotiations with Southampton which proved frustrating for both sides.
According to Haluk Ayyıldız, a commentator on the 61-Hour Sports Hour program, Southampton were holding firm on their asking price of €10 million while Trabzonspor’s offer of €5 million plus €2 million in add-ons was turned down.
Last month, Trabzonspor manager Abdullah Avci made some comments corroborating Ayyıldız’s claims, which suggested that the Turkish club was ready to move on from a deal for Onuachu and instead pursue a move for Burnley’s Dutch international striker Wout Weghorst.
“We could not get enough use out of Onuachu last season. He first went to the African Cup with the Nigerian National Team, then he suffered an injury. I do not want to face the same problems again. For this reason, Weghorst is a better fit for us. If we finalize his transfer, it would be a significant development for us” Avci told the media.
Ayyıldız revealed yesterday that Trabzonspor were finalising a move for Weghorst, with a deal set to be completed.
“Trabzonspor has accelerated its work for Wout Weghorst, with whom it is holding simultaneous talks for the transfer of the goal scorer. There is a tight bargaining session with the team. All conditions are being discussed for his transfer fee. The player is asking for 2.5 million Euros. This price is not clear. However, Wout Weghorst is being finalized.”
According to journalist Adam Blackmore while answering a question on X formerly known as Twitter, Southampton could be prepared to keep Onuachu if they do not receive a suitable offer for the 6ft 7in striker.
This comes after he was recently left out of a pre-season friendly against Bordeaux after Onuachu returned to the club for training which at some point looked like his time at Southampton was over.
Should he end up staying at Southampton, his playing time could be limited in Russell Martin’s side with Adam Armstrong – who scored 21 goals last season in the Championship – his first choice striker and Chile international striker Ben Brereton Diaz joining the club in a £7 million transfer from La Liga club Villarreal.
However, with Southampton desperate to avoid relegation, having three different options who are proven goalscorers could be valuable.
