Saints are being reported as being about to offer Sadio Mane a new contract to ward off interest from a list of Clubs that is increasing on a Daily Basis according to the media.
The media have already decided that Sadio Mane is leaving Saints in the summer and they have already decided just who he will be replacing in the Manchester United squad.
But now mid table Chelsea are allegedly about to table a bid, the Stamford Bridge club have big ambitions and the first of those is to overtake Crystal Palace and become the 4th best club in London after Arsenal, Spurs & West Ham, this will be a tough task and they are being linked with Sadio Mane to fire the goals and overhaul the Eagles.
In many respects this is a no lose situation for Saints, Mane still has over 2 1/2 years left of his current 4 year deal, so Saints are under no pressure to sell at the moment, they can sit back and watch the speculation push the price up and if it reaches a stupid level then they can consider whether now is the time to cash in on him.
But they will be just as keen to keep him and therefore offering him a new deal is also a no lose situation, if he signs then they have the player tied up for at least an extra year and therefore maintaining his transfer value, if he declines to sign then they have an idea of what the player will be looking to do going forward and this will play a part in when they choose to cash in.
Saints fans should be prepared for the player himself to be looking to move to another club, after all his departure from Red Bull Salzburg was in similar circumstances with the Austrian club keen to hang on to him but unable to with Saints offering Mane Premier League football and big wages.
Perhaps RB Salzburg did not bear any grudges in that they invited Saints to take part in their pre season tournament this summer, but their supporters certainly did as the entire ground roundly booed Mane everytime he kicked the ball, it seems that they felt he had no loyalty.
The silly season is about to begin, we know that from past experience, but what we should remember is that most media reports are merely speculation, often based on little hard fact, after all Mane's alleged summer move to Old Trafford has subsequently proved to be little more than United using the media to deflect criticism of their transfer dealings after losing Pedro to Chelsea, United fans were unimpressed with Mane's credentials back then and a mere 3 Premier League goals so far this season will have done little to improve that impression.
Manchester United & Chelsea are not looking for players with potential, they are looking to sign the finished article at the highest level, only the truly big names will satisfy their fans.