According to the Daily Mail Saints are considering what action to take over recent press reports regarding bids for Sadio Mane & Victor Wanyama.

Saints are reported to be upset about the way that Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have conducted themselves regarding alleged bids for Mane & Wanyama and are looking at what action they should or could take.

Under Premier League rules clubs are not allowed to make any public announcements that they have made a bid for a player contracted to another club with rule T8 stating that this could be considered as being an inducement.

Recent reports in the media have suggested that Manchester United briefed a certain journalist to leak that they had lodged a bid for Mane in order to deflect criticism directed at United Chairman Ed Woodward who had failed to land Pedro from Barcelona.

Similar reports of alleged bids being lodged by Spurs for Wanyama have also being doing the rounds.

Of course the media will look to turn any small rumour into headline during transfer rumours and most of these rumours have little substance, but it seems that Saints are concerned that these two players are being courted for these club's by journalists being briefed by those club's in question and that is something far more serious.

Agents are also bound not to ask interested clubs whether offers have been made for their clients.

Ronald Koeman has gone on record to say that neither player is for sale and that Saints have not received any bid for their services, nor have the players been informed of any bid.

The Mail article then goes on to state that they believe that bids have been made and rejected and are therefore effectively calling Ronald Koeman a liar, going on to say they Wanyama has already told the club that he wishes to leave whilst Mane is waiting to see how strong United's interest is.

When you read this at the end of the article, you realise that once again someone at the Mail is being briefed by someone to stir up the players and that Southampton Football Club if they are concerened about clubs and agents breaking rule T8 seem to certainly have point.

Photo: Action Images

schatfield added 17:24 - Aug 24 Dont forget that any article you read on the Mail online is 99% sh*t anyway....they make it up as they go along
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SanMarco added 18:07 - Aug 24 You mean there is a whole 1% that's not schatfield?
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ArthurHucksake added 18:30 - Aug 24 You'd be better off quoting the Beano, it's more noted for it's accuracy.
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pintsizedsaint added 19:26 - Aug 24 Just one thing on Wanyama. He's actually not that great! I thought Romeu looked good against Watford and the thought of Romeu, Clasie and Reed providing DCM and ACM coverage is quite a good place to be. I think Wanyama doesn't want to stay at Saints (he's got a bit of form for saying things in the media). But he can do a job and I would personally keep him until next Summer. Yet I would be looking at bedding in the others, which would see Wanyama not starting as regularly. That way, when we do sell him, it won't be a massive wrench (with us all bemoaning another key player leaving). Just my thoughts. I know others rate him a lot more.

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SanMarco added 19:37 - Aug 24 I'm with you on that pintsized - as long as he goes on our terms and at a time when a planned replacement is ready I see no problem with losing him, in fact I do wonder if, in reality, any of the top 6 would really want him.
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corkcitysaint added 20:07 - Aug 24 Agree, with the above. he has been poor so far this season. Almost seems disinterested. shooting is woeful and passing dodgy. Had a poor back pass against Watford too that could have cost us. Having said all that, I do believe that we still need him. I was impressed with Romeu on Sunday. I think he could be a good buy and the pair would be a good combo. Clasie for me is physically a little lightweight and may struggle in certain, more physical ames this season and would need 2 DM's around him.

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bstokesaint added 20:20 - Aug 24 If we do threaten to do something on record we're better off actually doing something about it. Atletico and Toby made us look like proper mugs before.
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Zambucco added 20:57 - Aug 24 I completely disagree along with Mane and Long he's been or best player. Against vitesse he was immense, take into consideration that he's having to adapt to playing without Schneiderlin. I for one can't see what the all the fuss over Reed and JWP is all about.
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Consigliere added 22:01 - Aug 24 The Daily Mail has always been a vile rag and always will be. Never forget the notorious leader written by its proprietor Lord Rothermere in January 1934 in support of the fascists, described by Wikipedia as follows: Rothermere and the Mail were also editorially sympathetic to Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists.[Rothermere wrote an article titled "Hurrah for the Blackshirts" in January 1934, praising Mosley for his "sound, commonsense, Conservative doctrine",and pointing out that: "Young men may join the British Union of Fascists by writing to the Headquarters, King's Road, Chelsea, London, S.W.

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SanMarco added 22:25 - Aug 24 Well said Consigliere. Also the Zinoviev Letter of 1924 and a thousand other crimes against truth and democracy...
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SFSaint added 23:51 - Aug 24 Oh please, the DailyMail is the FoxNews of Britain. If that paper told me it was raining, I'd have to go outside and get wet before I believed them. Any connection between them and the truth is purely coincidental. They are to accuracy what a shotgun is to a long-distance sniper.
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Jesus_02 added 09:49 - Aug 25 Cant help but feel that we caused our own problems by letting clyne leave. Wanyama has 2 years left on his deal . Spurs are offering 14m or siomething daft. They may get him for less next season. Hopefully he will have a great season and at least ad some doubt as to wether he is going!
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SaintBrock added 13:19 - Aug 25 Surely some sort of conspiracy is possible between the press and the big clubs (6) to make sure that nobody else can gate crash their money-fest party. Saints have grabbed headlines for several years for their remarkable transformation and for two seasons have been very serious contenders to break through the glass ceiling of the status quo. Time then to stop us? Thus the systematic destabilisation and subsequent poaching of our best talent not because the big six clubs need them but to stop Saints wrecking their comfortable existence by upsetting their applecart. They had one stab at it last year and it didn't work so they had another stab a it this year and lured even more players away. With that upstart Koeman showing every possibility of building yet another challenging team, lo and behold it all kicks off again... think about it. So who would be the main protagonists and why? Pochettino for one as he has already been seriously embarrassed by Koeman finishing higher in the league with a much depleted Saints than he could achieve the year before with all our star players here. Next van Gaal who is known to be hostile to Koeman for historic reasons and also because they are both Dutch and no way is van Gaal going to allow himself to be embarrassed by the upstart Koeman finishing higher in the PL than he with a very much lower budget and far less of a reputation. Can you imagine how he would have reacted if Koeman had been named PL Manager of the Year? Indeed it could so easily have cost him his job if everyone then queued up to sign our Ron! So no lack of motives or suspects and the tactic? Just unsettle the players by digging them up and thus unsettle the team QED. If you ever doubt the press conspiracy just reflect on the BBC and Sky's condescending attitude towards Saints and the domination of their programmes by ex-Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man U players as pundits.

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SaintBrock added 13:26 - Aug 25 Wannabe defectors should be forced to stay here for their contracted period, four years should mean four years. Surely we can afford to let one or two contracts run down just to make an example to the others and if players sulk stick them in the U21's and then see how much interest there'll be after effectively being 'out of the game' for a season.
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