Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in signing Southampton striker Charlie Austin.
Dion Dublin has admitted that he is ‘surprised’ that Southampton striker Charlie Austin has been put up for sale by his club, with a number of teams interested in his services.
The Telegraph claim that the 29-year-old is set to leave St Mary’s before the January transfer window shuts, with Midlands duo Aston Villa and Wolves keen on strengthing their attacking lines.
It is said Austin will not be priced out of a move by the Saints as he looks for regular game time following the arrival of manager Ralph Hasenhuttl in December.
Former Holte End favourite Dublin offered his thoughts on Austin, who has vasts amounts of experience both in the Premier League and in the Championship.
“I am surprised [that Austin is for sale] because he’s an out and out goalscorer,” Dublin told Sky Sports’ the Debate show on 28/01/2019. “Austin, Ings and Long. As three strikers go that’s not bad for a club of Southampton’s size.
“I’m surprised he [Southampton manager] is going to let him go. If Charlie is now saying ‘I have got to get away, I am not happy being on the bench’ then that’s a different matter. At this stage of the season, I would want to keep him.”
The winter transfer window is set to slam shut on Thursday, with a number of clubs across England and Scotland hoping to conclude some last-minute deals.
For Villa, they are vying for promotion to the top tier of English football as they are currently four points outside of the Championship play-off places.
As for Wolves, they are sitting in the top 10 of the Premier League table and will be looking to finish in a European place at the end of the season.
Over the course of this season, Austin has played 18 goals in all competitions, scoring three goals, but he has only started two league games since December, according to transfermarkt.
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