Transfer News: Kevin Phillips is weighing up whether to leave Sunderland and return to the Premiership with Southampton after the clubs agreed a £3 million fee.
The 30-year-old former England striker, who will begin discussing personal terms later this week, would have to forfeit just over 50 per cent of his existing wages to fit in with Southampton's pay structure, but Gordon Strachan hopes Phillips will be persuaded to make the move by the chance to play in the top-flight again and in Europe for the first time.
Strachan has led Southampton into the UEFA Cup and sees Phillips as the ideal partner for James Beattie. Southampton, though, have made it clear to Phillips they will not break their wage structure, which has helped to make them profitable while not preventing increasing success.
Phillips is paid £33,000 a week at Sunderland and has been offered £16,000 a week by Southampton, which would put him on a par with Beattie, the club's highest earner. He would not be given a signing-on fee.
It is possible that yesterday's developments will provoke rival interest from Birmingham City, Middlesbrough or others, but Southampton hope the lure of the UEFA Cup, plus last season's top-half Premiership finish will bring Phillips to St Mary's.
Phillips has made no secret of his desire to leave relegated Sunderland and now has to decide whether to uproot his family and bring his career full circle.
He began as a trainee at Southampton, where he cleaned Alan Shearer's boots, but was released as a teenager.
Southampton intend to sign a striker before the transfer window closes at the end of the month and will turn their attention elsewhere if Phillips rejects them.
Phillips has scored relatively few goals for a struggling Sunderland over the past two seasons, managing 22 in total, but Strachan believes the player retains the instinct that brought him 30 Premiership goals in 1999-2000.
Phillips has talked of feeling "stale" at the Stadium of Light and Strachan wants to give him a fresh start. Southampton's manager is keen to bring in an experienced scorer to complement Beattie, on whose goals the club relied heavily last season.
Sunderland assumed all summer that Phillips would be leaving, with their manager Mick McCarthy omitting Phillips from warm-up matches.
Sunderland had hoped for more for Phillips, but reluctantly accepted £3 million as they seek to reduce big debts. However, they can still reflect on good business, having bought Phillips from Watford for £325,000 in the summer of 1997.
Southampton agreed the fee for Phillips as they completed the signing of the Rangers midfielder Neil McCann for £1.5 million on a four-year contract.
Guardian Service
