Charlie Austin to leave Southampton this month with Wolves and Aston Villa leading the chase for striker
Striker plans to depart St Mary's with game time under Ralph Hasenhuttl proving hard to come by
CHARLIE AUSTIN could end up at Wolves or Aston Villa this month as a Southampton exit looks increasingly likely.
The 29-year-old has started just twice in the league under new boss Ralph Hasenhuttl and is understood to have reached an agreement with The Saints which will pave the way for his departure.
The club have already received offers for the Englishman but rejected them as they did not meet their valuation.
Austin has around 14 months to run on his contract but according to Southampton will not price him out of a move this transfer window.
The former Burnley man signed for The Saints from QPR in January 2016 in a deal worth around £5million.
He has scored 20 goals in 72 appearances for the south-coast club including one on his debut at Old Trafford.
Having made only two league starts under Hasenhuttl, Austin wants more game time which he looks likely to seek elsewhere.
As well as Wolves and Aston Villa; Galatasaray, Leicester and Stoke are also said to be interested in the striker.
Manolo Gabbiadini and Wesley Hoedt have been loaned out already this month and with Cedric Soares likely to follow, it will be somewhat of a clear out for Southampton if Austin follows suit.
Austin recently made headlines for an astonishing post-match rant in which he branded the officials a 'joke' and called for the immediate introduction of VAR after Southampton's home draw with Watford.