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Oliver Walton

Wed 6 August 2025 16:01, UK

Southampton midfielder Joe Aribo does not want to leave the club to join one of his current suitors despite the Saints’ return to the Championship.

Southampton’s 2024/25 campaign could not have gone much worse, as they failed to put up a fight to stay in the Premier League, but Aribo was one of their few shining lights.

The Nigerian international midfielder scored three times in 32 league appearances, and was also a standout in their previous promotion season from the Championship to the top-flight.

His decent form has seen clubs from across Europe register their interest in his signature, with the Daily Mail reporting back in January that Besiktas were interested in making a move for him this summer alongside teammate Paul Onuachu.

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Foot Africa have recently claimed that Villarreal are also lining up a move for the versatile 29-year-old ahead of the new campaign, but Southampton look to have received a boost to their chances of keeping him following new developments.

New Saints boss Will Still confirmed last week to the Daily Echo that Aribo was on the radar of other teams in the transfer window, saying: “There’s been interest around Joe.

We’ll just see how that develops over the next few days, a few weeks.”

Southampton fans will have been fearing the worst following those quotes, but a new development around Aribo’s future at St Mary’s could mean he stays for a little while longer yet.

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The Sun (6 August) have revealed that the Nigerian international has remained the subject of interest from Turkish giants Besiktas, but he is “reluctant” to move to Turkey right now.

His reasons for being apprehensive to move across Europe are unclear, but it looks likely to rule out a move to any Super Lig side over the next month.

Football Insider verdict

The Saints went down as one of the worst Premier League sides ever last season, with just 12 points and two wins all term, and so it is impressive to think that former Rangers man Aribo emerged with some credit from the campaign.

At 29-years-old it feels like he is in the prime of his career, and definitely could play at a higher level than the Championship, but this new boost may mean that he is happy to stay on the south-coast to get the club back to the top-flight once again.

AppearancesGoalsAssists10491Aribo’s Southampton career stats

Southampton could lose Tyler Dibling this summer amid interest from numerous clubs, while other key men have already left, with Aaron Ramsdale joining Newcastle on loan and Kyle Walker-Peters leaving at the end of his contract.

Matheus Fernandes has been heavily linked with a move away from St Mary’s too, and losing him and Aribo would make Still’s midfield look worryingly thin, so it is imperative that the new boss encourages him to stay around for at least another year until his contract expires in 2026.

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