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Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has joined Premier League giants Newcastle United on loan for next season, in a move that is very financially beneficial to the Saints.
After the Saints suffered relegation from the Premier League to the Championship last season, Southampton appointed Will Still to spearhead their revival.
Within the transfer window, the business at Southampton has been dominated by high-profile exits, and the potential for further departures this summer.
A Southampton exodus is on the cards this summer, after Still admitted ‘several’ players need to leave ahead of the 2025/26 Championship campaign.
Whether Still was including Aaron Ramsdale in those claims is unclear, but the England international has left Southampton to join Newcastle United on loan, with a sizeable financial benefit for the Saints included in the deal.
Fee Southampton will bank from Aaron Ramsdale’s Newcastle United loan
Newcastle entered talks to sign Ramsdale on Tuesday, with those materialising into a complete agreement, seeing the Saints shot-stopper link up with former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe.
Ramsdale was likely to exit Southampton this summer despite conceding 66 goals in 30 Premier League outings during the Saints’ relegation.
Last month, European giants Rangers and Galatasaray targeted Ramsdale for a loan move as the Magpies continued to monitor his situation, before winning the race for the England international’s signature this summer.
On the surface, losing their number one goalkeeper could be an issue for the Saints. But, with Gavin Bazunu being a perfect Ramsdale replacement waiting in the Southampton wings, and the fees involved in the deal, the Saints have come out on top.
Give Me Sport reporter Ben Jacobs revealed on X: “Newcastle United have reached an agreement with Southampton to sign Aaron Ramsdale on a season-loan with buy option… Understand the loan fee is around £4m.”
BBC’s Adam Blackmore added on X: “I’m told Newcastle taking on all of Rambo’s (Aaron Ramsdale’s) wages plus a “high” loan fee.”
Therefore, Southampton will receive a £4m fee from the Magpies for the loan deal and save a staggering amount on Ramsdale’s wages throughout the 2025/26 Championship season.
Ramsdale topped the highest-paid Championship players list before his Newcastle loan exit, with Capology estimating his weekly income to be £120,000.
Accounting for Ramsdale’s £120k-per-week wages across a full season, Southampton are set to save in the region of £5.04m on the goalkeeper’s wages come the conclusion of the Premier League campaign in May, as well as the £4m loan fee boost.
Southampton are facing a £100m problem this summer, due to their wage bill from last season, and getting Ramsdale’s sizeable wages off the balance sheet will be a benefit to the Saints’ financial health heading into next season.
- READ MORE: Will Still shares ‘quality’ Damion Downs verdict after £7m star’s stunning Southampton impact
Gavin Bazunu must take Southampton opportunity after Aaron Ramsdale exit
With Ramsdale joining Newcastle, Bazunu has a chance to resurrect his dwindling Southampton career this season.
The Republic of Ireland international spent last season on loan at Belgian top flight outfit Standard Liege after finding game time hard to come by ahead of Ramsdale.
Bazunu featured 8 times for Liege last season, conceding 15 goals and keeping just one clean sheet, in another testing campaign for the 23-year-old.
With the season less than two weeks away, Bazunu recently told the Southern Daily Echo: “I want to be here, definitely. I’m ready to play, and I’m hoping to play here.
“All we can do is take these opportunities we get to play and just show what we can do, really.”
With Ramsdale’s exit, Bazunu must grasp his “opportunity” to rediscover his best form, and prove once again why Southampton shelled out a £12m fee to Manchester City for his services in 2022.