Stoke City boss Alex Neil insists he is under no pressure to sell Harry Souttar after a reported £10 million Leicester bid for the Premier League linked centre-back but, speaking to the Stoke Sentinel, he is refusing to rule out letting the Australia international go.
While Neil does not have to cash in on Souttar, that doesn’t mean he won’t.
As the former Sunderland and Norwich City coach points out, selling key players for big money allows a club to replenish their ranks, reinvesting a sizeable sum to make the squad stronger as a whole.
“I don’t have to let him go,” Neil explains.
“I think it’ll be a decision internally, and whether we let Harry move on to something that might be very good for him and could help us do what we need to do in regards to (refreshing) the squad. That will be a decision and a conversation internally.”
Leicester City and West Ham United like Stoke defender Harry Souttar
According to Gianluca di Marzio, Leicester have offered £10 million for Souttar. The Foxes have already reinforced their backline with the arrival of Victor Kristiansen from Copenhagen, and 24-year-old Souttar would help offset Jonny Evans’ injury issues and Caglar Soyuncu’s inevitable departure.
A colossal presence at 6ft 6ins but a superb passer of the ball; there are shades of former King Power favourite Jannik Vestergaard about Souttar.
“Every player, every person has a price,” Neil adds. “Because, ultimately, it’s a business. We want to keep our best players.
“We’re not in the habit of losing our best players but a sign of being a successful team is selling players for big money, and then you reinvest it to bring in four or five that you hope to do the same with to keep the cycle going.
“You can’t keep going to your owners to ask for x-amount of millions to put into the team. If your team is functioning as it should, you should be in a position when you could sell a player each year and still get better.”
According to TEAMtalk, West Ham United are also keen on Souttar. The Hammers find themselves one defender down after Craig Dawson’s move to Wolves. The Scottish Sun, however, believe Stoke want up to £25 million. Far more than Leicester are offering at this stage.
“He’s definitely going to a Premier League club,” Socceroos legend Mark Schwarzer tells Optus Sports. “There’s been some mention of West Ham. I could see him fitting in really, really well with David Moyes in that squad. That would be my guess at this moment.
“(Crystal Palace) would also suit Harry because he can play any type of system. And he is more than capable of playing the ball out the back.”
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