Southampton are bracing themselves for a battle to hold onto their young starlet Luke Shaw this summer. The Metro reports that Chelsea and Tottenham are both planning to try and tempt the Saints into selling with bids of up to £16m.
Shaw, 17, is the latest in an impressive line of youngsters to have come through the Southampton youth system. Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all moved to big clubs after learning their trade at St Marys.
Southampton to play hard ball
Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino does not want to lose Shaw and his chairman has told him that the club are not in a position where they have to sell.
Unlike the sales of Walcott, Bale and Oxlade-Chamberlain, Southampton are able to do any business for Shaw on their own terms.
The left-back signed a five year deal with Southampton only last year and if the club avoid relegation from the Premier League he may be happy to remain at the club, for the time being at least.
Follow in Bale’s footsteps?
Spurs hope the fact that Gareth Bale left Southampton and is now flourishing at White Hart Lane will give them the edge in persuading Shaw to join them.
Chelsea are building a new squad, with much of the old guard already gone or seemingly on their way out. Shaw is seen as the long term replacement for Ashley Cole by those at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal will be disappointed to hear that they will now face a bidding war to sign Shaw, after they have been monitoring his progress for some time now. With Chelsea and Tottenham ready to pay big money for Shaw, it is likely that Arsene Wenger will turn his attention elsewhere.