Southampton Make Opening Bid In An Attempt To Secure Manchester City Starlet

All the focus at the Etihad Stadium is currently on who is coming into the club this summer, but there are some inevitable exits that still needed to be sorted out.

Four Manchester City players have contracts that expire next summer and the arrivals of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund and Julian Alvarez from River Plate may still influence the thinking of certain members within the first-team squad.

Gabriel Jesus is seemingly the closest first-team star to leaving the club in the next few weeks, with a recent report claiming that Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid were considering the Brazilian international as an alternative to Paris Saint-Germain superstar, Kylian Mbappe.

Raheem Sterling is another forward whose future remains up in the air and more talks are expected regarding the matter after the winger's remaining two UEFA Nations League fixtures with England.

There is also the small matter of sorting out loan or permanent deals for some youngsters in the Manchester City academy - including breakthrough star, Gavin Bazunu.

Gavin Bazunu was excellent out on loan at Portsmouth (PA Images / Alamy)

The Irish international was excellent while out on loan at Portsmouth last season and the south coast club's Player of the Year has been tipped for Premier League action in the future.

As reported by Alex Crook of talkSport, Southampton are one club that are 'pushing hard' to secure the services of Gavin Bazunu ahead of next season. Although within this particular update, there was no word on whether Ralph Hasenhüttl's side were pursuing a loan or a deal of a permanent nature. However, it is expected that Manchester City would push to keep the young talent connected to the club in some capacity.

However, a further report from the Daily Mail revealed that the Saints made their opening bid in a deal that could reach upwards of £10 million in order to secure Gavin Bazunu's services, as the south coast side attempt to replace the recently departed Fraser Forster - who made a move to Tottenham earlier on Wednesday morning.

In previous weeks, Gavin Bazunu has also been linked with a host of Championship clubs, but a move to the Premier League seems like the natural next stage in his rapid and exciting development.