Southampton beat Newcastle to £15m deal due to assurances over game time - TalkSPORT

According to TalkSPORT's Alex Crook, Newcastle have tried and failed to beat Southampton to a deal for highly-rated Irishman Gavin Bazunu.

He claims that Newcastle showed "strong interest" in the 20-year-old goalkeeper, however the Saints look set to seal a deal after agreeing a £10m fee with Man City that could rise to £15m with add-ons.

Crook has also revealed TWO reasons why Bazunu is believed to have chosen St Mary's over St James' Park, stating that the promise of first-team football and track record Southampton have of developing young players was 'key to his decision.'

A move for the Irish international would've been a brilliant one, giving us a long-term replacement to Martin Dubravka who could be our number one stopper in years to come, yet it seems he wanted guaranteed game time now.

Bazunu is yet to make an appearance for Man City's senior side and enjoyed an impressive loan spell at Portsmouth last season, keeping 17 clean sheets in 46 appearances.

Hopefully one we don't look back on with big regrets in a few years time!