Southampton striker Charlie Austin could be on the move this summer and has received interest from Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa, according to a report by Teamtalk.
But it was Sheffield United forward Billy Sharp on Twitter who has hinted Austin could be close to signing for the Blades. In a reply to Austin’s wife Bianca, Sharp made reference to Charlie’s suit, stating it matched the same colours as Sheffield United’s kit.
According to Teamtalk, the Blades should have the advantage over their city rivals due to them gaining promotion to the Premier League last season.
The bigger challenge to sign Austin could come from Aston Villa, who were also promoted to the top-tier last season. The Villans have lost 25-goal man Tammy Abraham, who has returned to Chelsea after a one-year loan spell at Villa Park. With Chelsea under a transfer ban, it will remain to be seen if they would allow the 21-year-old to leave this summer.
Austin, who is valued at £7.2 million by Transfermarkt has scored 16 goals in his time at St Mary’s but struggled last season and only managed to score twice in his 25 league appearances. Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will be looking to add more goals to his team, as the Saints were ranked 15th out of 20 for goals scored last season.
