MANAGER Russell Martin insisted German defender Armel Bella-Kotchap wants to "force his way into the reckoning" amid speculation over his future.
Earlier in the week, it was reported that two Bundesliga sides, Hoffenheim and Stuttgart, had approached Saints for the 22 year old.
Bella-Kotchap is yet to feature in pre-season and missed Southampton's training camp in Girona, Spain, but is now on the training pitch.
He was present at the open training session at St Mary's and stayed behind after the session had finished to sign autographs for supporters.
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Speaking to the Daily Echo, Martin said: "He's training, he's fit. He wants to try and force his way into the reckoning.
"He just needs to keep doing what he's doing. We'll have to wait and see what the future brings for Armel.
"I think we've got a lot of centre-halves. So yeah, we'll have to wait and see."
Bella-Kotchap spent last season on loan at PSV. He only made six appearances for the Dutch champions as injuries prevented him from regular football.
The two-time German international has made 26 appearances for Southampton since joining the club in 2022 from VfL Bochum.
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