Saints confident over Jay stay

Posted Thursday, May 07, 2015 by Foxsports.com

Southampton are confident Jay Rodriguez will commit to a new long-term deal this summer but the player will consider his options amid interest from other Premier League clubs.

The 25-year-old forward has missed the entire season through injury but has returned to full training and could feature for the first-team before the end of the season.

A new five-year deal has been on the table for some time but the player is aware of interest from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Rodriguez suffered a serious knee ligament injury last April which has kept him out for an entire year, but he has been working tirelessly in order to best position himself for a return to the form that accumulated 17 goals in 40 appearances last season.

The former Burnley youth broke into the England team in November 2013, making his debut against Chile, and was expected to be part of Roy Hodgson's World Cup squad had it not been for his injury.
And interest in him has remained, especially from Tottenham, where former head of recruitment at Southampton Paul Mitchell has joined head coach Mauricio Pochettino, both of whom have a good relationship with the player.

Both Spurs and Man City are expected to undergo significant turnarounds of playing staff this summer and target young English talent more than in previous transfer windows.