Southampton are believed to have entered the running to sign Crystal Palace‘s Justin Devenny this summer, after Leicester City were linked to the midfielder.
The Foxes were eyeing a permanent switch for the Northern Ireland international as Russell Martin looks to rebuild his squad ahead of their League One campaign, with the Premier League outfit willing to sell for the right price.
Championship Interest Revealed
In his initial report over Devenny’s future, Alan Nixon reported that some unnamed Championship sides were interested in signing the midfielder, who was part of the Eagles squad that won the UEFA Conference League last season.
Now, in an update on his situation, Nixon has reported on his Patreon page that both Southampton and Preston North End are keen to sign the former Airdrieonians man, with the pair in need of replacing key players.
For Southampton, they are on course to sell Shea Charles to Leeds United this summer, with it being believed that Daniel Farke’s side have submitted an improved bid that has since been rejected, according to Ben Jacobs.
However, the Saints are looking at multiple targets to fill the void should Charles leave, with Tottenham‘s Alfie Devine also of interest to Tonda Eckert after rejecting a permanent move to Preston North End.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side had activated their option to buy clause in Devine’s contract, but no move has come to fruition as of yet, which has allowed Celtic to enter the race to sign the Spurs youngster.
Leicester City are facing a major change in their midfield ranks this summer, with Harry Winks reportedly in talks with Cagliari over a move, and have already sold one prospect in Henry Cartwright to League One rivals Bradford City.
Foxes Face Disadvantage
News of both Southampton and Preston North End joining the transfer battle for Justin Devenny is bad news for Leicester City as they look to shake up their options under Russell Martin.
Once sales go through at the King Power, starting with the £12.5 million they will receive from Manchester City for Jeremy Monga, the Foxes should now be able to push around their financial weight in the market, and securing a star like Devenny will be key to their future growth.
He could form a formidable trio for Leicester as they also target the free agent signing of Archie Collins from Peterborough, with those two possibly joining academy star Sammy Braybrooke as the key players in midfield for Martin next season.
However, their relegation has perhaps left them vulnerable to interest from elsewhere, and the winner of this race could all come down to Alfie Devine’s decision over his future, now that both Southampton and Celtic are eyeing a hijack of the Lilywhites’ deal.
Should one of the Championship sides triumph, it would set up a direct showdown between them and Leicester, and the prospect of regular football in the second tier may be too hard to turn down.
