Football
Exclusive: Southampton Striker Ben Brereton-Diaz in Demand Among Promotion-Chasing Clubs
Sheffield United and West Brom are set to battle for Southampton striker Ben Brereton-Diaz, with Middlesbrough also interested. The 26-year-old Chile international could be sold by Southampton to a promotion rival. Brereton-Diaz had a successful loan spell at Sheffield United last season, scoring four goals in 17 league games. The Blades, Baggies, and Boro see him as a key addition for a Premier League promotion push.
Eastleigh v Southampton - Pre-Season Friendly by Robin Jones | Getty Images
Sheffield United and West Brom are both battling it out to sign Southampton striker Ben Brereton-Diaz, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
And our sources have learnt that Middlesbrough have also made tentative enquiries about the possibility of signing the experienced Chile international.
Brereton-Diaz was an unused substitute as the Saints kicked off the new Championship season with a battling 2-1 win over newly-promoted Wrexham.
He then started in a 1-0 EFL Cup win away to Northampton Town, but was then again an unused substitute as the club drew 1-1 away to fellow relegated side Ipswich in their second league match of the season.
SportsBoom understands the south coast side will consider selling the striker providing the price is right, even if it is to another potential promotion rival like the Blades, Baggies or Boro.
The former Nottingham Forest and Blackburn Rovers marksman is under contract until 2028, but he spent the second half of last season on loan at Sheffield United, his second loan spell with the South Yorkshire side inside two years.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
The 26-year-old, capped 35 times by his country, joined the Saints in a high-profile £7million deal in July last year.
However, after the club went a worrying 17 Premier League games without a win, he was one of a string of players dropped to train with the Saints’ Under-21 side.
The striker failed to score in 13 games for the club, 12 in the league, and in January was loaned out to the Blades until the end of the season.
He bagged four goals in 17 league games for the South Yorkshire outfit and came within a whisker of winning promotion to the Premier League club as Chris Wilder’s suffered defeat in the Championship Play-off final to Sunderland.
West Brom and Boro, who have both made bright starts to the season, have both been interested in signing the striker for some time and believe he could be the perfect fit to bolster their attacking options for a Premier League promotion push.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.