Southampton have agreed on a fee with Celtic for the transfer of Stuart Armstrong this summer. According to recent reports, the Saints have an agreement in place to sign the Hoops attacking midfielder during this summer transfer period. The Scottish talent has now been given permission to discuss personal terms with the South-coast club ahead of a move to the English top-flight.
Some sources are now claiming that a fee in excess of £6m has been agreed between the two clubs. The 26-year-old playmaker put pen to paper on a new two-year contract with the Glaswegian giants last summer. However, he is eager to ply his trade in the top tier of English football and will soon get his wish when he graces the pitch at the St. Mary’s Stadium.
Armstrong has been able to win four Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups during his spell at Parkhead. He was also a key member of Brendan Rodgers’ team that won back-to-back domestic trebles over the last two campaigns.
The Inverness-born midfielder had featured in 41 matches for the Bhoys last season, scoring five goals while grabbing six assists in all competitions.
The Saints were able to avoid relegation by the skin of their teeth but had a disappointing domestic campaign last term. The new Southampton boss Mark Hughes will now be hoping to recruit wisely during this ongoing transfer window so that they can improve on their league positioning next term.
The potential addition of Armstrong will undoubtedly bolster Hughes’ midfield options ahead of the new season. The Saints have an array of attacking talents in midfield such as Dusan Tadic, Sofiane Boufal, Mario Lemina, and James Ward-Prowse competing for a place at the centre of the park. The acquisition of Armstrong will definitely improve the Southampton team and add more competition for places within Hughes’ squad.
At 26, the Scottish international still has his best years ahead of him which the South-coast outfit could look to benefit from, in the next few years. The Celtic star is also quite versatile and primarily operates in central midfield but can also play down the left flank which makes him a perfect fit for the Premier League side. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of Armstrong and whether he ends up making a switch to the St. Mary’s Stadium in the coming days.
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From Celtic’s point of view as well, they are in a rich vein of form and don’t need to experiment too much with the midfield they have at their disposal. So it will be a good move for Rodgers to let Armstrong join a club where he will be a first team option rather than a backup one as it can be assumed as a good move for all parties involved.
