They say, he says, who says, there are a lot of conflicting reports going around at present, here we take a look at just who is leaving St Mary's and where they are going, as a lot of words are spoken, but little is happening.

There is a lot of rumour and counter rumour going around at the moment, on Monday it was claimed that Carlos Alcaraz was in Italy tying up the loose ends of his transfer to Napoli, only for pictures of the player to emerge of him training at Staplewood that afternoon, this highlights the absurdity of the reporting on a transfer window, one report can say one thing whilst another completely the opposite.

On the Alcaraz front though the player himself has said the right words in that he is happy to stay at St Mary's and would only move if the deal favours Southampton, his agent is saying the something different.

footitalia.com report that the players agent is saying his client is "Leaning towards Napoli"

Speaking with Radio CRC, agent Sebastian Lopez confirmed the players desire to make the switch to Naples this summer:

Or Did he !

“Is Alcaraz waiting to receive some offer from Italy while on holiday? He is training on these vacations to make himself at his best for the upcoming season. We are waiting and who knows maybe this call will come from Italy.”

“Alcaraz like Lobotka? Let’s say the guy plays in midfield, but he has a strong offensive proclivity. This year he played as a second-striker as well.

“Alcaraz is an Argentine and as for all Argentines, Napoli means Maradona. Right now there is a strong motivation and we hope that these hopes can materialize. Last season there was interest from Napoli, this season there has been no official contact with the Azzurri management. There is a strong inclination for Napoli and we remain waiting. As of today I cannot confirm the negotiation, we will understand shortly how the soccer market will develop.”

So the agent did not suggest that Alcaraz would be joining Napoli, only that he hoped that the Italian club would make an approach, this was not the concrete transfer rumour that it initially looked, but the players agent trying to push his client into the transfer radar.

Another will he won't he situation is Romeo Lavia, depending on whom you believe, Lavia is about to sign for Liverpool or the Merseyside club have pulled out of the race.

At 10 am this morning Caught Offside citing the Daily Mail claimed that Liverpool were about to launch their bid.

However 20 minutes later Football365 were saying that Jurgen Klopp now has no gap to fill in the midfield.

Some reports also suggest that Lavia favours Arsenal over Liverpool.

So who do you believe ?

Tino Livramento is another on/off transfer as mentioned on this site yesterday, depending on which report your read, Newcastle are about to sign Tino or they are about to pull out and now Chelsea are the favourites although it is Newcastle who the player himself would prefer to join.

TheBootRoom are one of the sites saying this, although they are not the only ones, certainly Livramento would have a better chance of getting into Newcastle's first team than Chelsea's although it seems that after buying him, the Blues would lend him back to us.

So despite the rumour mill being full of claims that these three and several others are about to leave St Mary's, there is little concrete evidence other than report after report some more credible than others and some less so, that make it seem that the transfer is imminent.

With around 15 players potentially leaving Southampton FC this summer it is going to be a busy couple of months.

Photo: Action Images

Bowlercow added 11:44 - Jul 5 Nick you ask Who do you believe Well certainly no national or local journalist They all publish opinion as fact and every now and then get one right Who was it said Never let the truth get in the way of a good story
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Block8 added 11:59 - Jul 5 The problem here is that we cannot hope to build or shape a team until we have some clarity on who will be here. In all probability the team that begins the season will be completely different by September, not a good omen. Currently our squad is far too big but if you believe even half the reports we could be losing up to 15 players ( two have gone already) and we've already fallen behind Leicester in the rebuilding process. To bounce back straight away we need consistency and a competitive team and we are losing valuble time in the building of it.

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highfield49 added 12:38 - Jul 5 Everyone is correct in posting that the uncertainty surrounding arrivals and departures is going to have a significant impact on which players are available when the season gets underway. I'm hoping that the management team won't be selecting anyone who isn't committed to the club. If heads have been turned by agents, pundits, tapping up or whatever then those players shouldn't be playing in pre season fixtures because mentally they aren't prepared for the fight. Russell Martin will undoubtedly know already who the potential VVDs are and there is nothing to be gained by getting them match fit for the benefit of their future clubs. If the proposed transfers don't come to fruition then they can knuckle down again in October and prove their desire. In the specific case of Alcaraz maybe he should be asking whether his agent is competent, at his age he needs good advice not just individuals lining their bank accounts at his expense.

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underweststand added 14:58 - Jul 5 same old stories every year. One wonders who are the people who post these "stories". Even acknowledged media figures/journalists make mistakes all the time without apology. How right will Paul Merson be with his many prognostications about Prem. players.? Whilst some may be established, or even " reliable sources ", some of the others sound more like a soccer-crazy teenage kid running a fan site from a laptop in his bedroom. However cheering it may be for us to read that our player will be sold for 30..40..or 50 million the only thing that really matters is when the ink is dry on the contract ,and we start getting some new signings of our own.

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A1079 added 15:26 - Jul 5 I have long been past the point where I read all the stories and rumours and tend to wait until it is fact. But as Block 8 and Underwestand intimate, the new season is fast approaching and we have little or no idea who our actual squad will be and it could be several games in before we do - how much impact will that have on our results and performances because one presumes that it could be late into the transfer market before we can get anyone in. Yet again, we are likely to have a slow start to the season and be in catch up mode come the autumn.

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Jesus_02 added 15:58 - Jul 5 Because of some of the deals that we have agreed its really not that profitable to sell some of these players. For example Chelsea have a 40% sell on clause for Tino. so we are going to need to sell him for about £20m before you can take a chance on a replacement . Apparently he is on 8k a week , are we really going to get a right back as good that's going to play for 8k a week ? Similarly Lavia is on 25k, Alcaraz is on a similar amount. Hardly bank busting wages. I can see why financially we would want to move JWP on . If we can just get the team together and managed well I think we have a decent chance

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Monksway added 11:24 - Jul 7 RM sounds pretty phlegmatic about the situation. It appears that he will try and establish a clear way of playing regardless of specific personnel. Providing the players commit to training they will be open for selection. Whilst I guess it's the only approach possible but it does mean that the month before and after the transfer deadline will see a lot of changes. If we are mid table and still in the mix by November with an increasingly consistent team selection that is probably the best we can hope for. RM must be given time by SR and the supporters regardless of reservations about whether he is the best man for the job.

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