Southampton have encountered a setback in their preparations for the 2025/26 campaign, with reports indicating that Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi prefers a move to Rangers over St Mary’s.
The 22-year-old Crystal Palace winger, who spent last season on loan at Sheffield United, has drawn interest from numerous clubs over the past few weeks, with Saints among the teams considered most eager for the forward.
Rak-Sakyi spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Charlton Athletic from Palace, where he earned the Addicks’ Player of the Year award, before returning and featuring in the first-team during the 2023/24 season.
The England youth international has been one of the brightest prospects within the Palace academy for quite some time now, and with both Charlton and the Blades, he has demonstrated that he already possesses star quality for the EFL.
However, a return to the EFL does not currently seem likely, with Southampton apparently falling behind in the pursuit of his signature.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi reportedly wants Rangers move ahead of Southampton:
According to Alan Nixon reporting via his Patreon account on Sunday, Rak-Sakyi is eager for a transfer to Scottish Premiership giants Rangers, who have also shown an interest in the winger.
The report suggests that several Championship teams are also interested in Rak-Sakyi, but he presently favors a move to Ibrox to join the Gers, who are now led by former Southampton manager Russell Martin.
Nixon notes that Martin indeed attempted to sign Rak-Sakyi on a permanent basis while Southampton manager last summer, but the deal never materialized, and now he remains keen on bringing him to Glasgow.
It is believed that Rangers would like to secure the signing of Rak-Sakyi on an initial loan deal as they attempt to gather funds for a purchase, with Palace said to be demanding £10 million as a transfer fee.
Palace are now reportedly open to selling the winger, but Nixon also states that Rangers may succeed with a loan move if the player presses for a transfer to Scotland.
Slow progress on the transfer front for Will Still at Saints:
The hiring of former Stade de Reims boss Will Still, who was at Lens last season, is an interesting choice for Southampton, with the English-Belgian coach having already earned a positive reputation.
This is a completely different challenge and role for him, though, and he is managing a club and a squad that may well be in transition as we approach the 2025/26 Championship campaign.
Players such as Aaron Ramsdale, Mateus Fernandes, and Tyler Dibling have all been associated with moves away and were anticipated to leave Saints, and are potentially still expected to depart, but they remain in place for now.
That is what has perhaps delayed their activity in terms of arrivals, with Joshua Quarshie and Damion Downs having joined the club this summer, from Hoffenheim and Cologne respectively.
Rak-Sakyi would be an impressive boost to Saints’ roster, but it seems they may miss out on him in favor of their former manager.