La Liga 2 side Cadiz has shortlisted forgotten Southampton defender Juan Larios as a 2026 summer transfer target.
Southampton sent as many as 12 senior team players out on loan during the 2025/26 season. Armel Bella-Kotchap was the only one who got sold later, thanks to a €5m January transfer to Serie A side Hellas Verona.
James Bree later returned to Southampton and turned out as an integral member of Tonda Eckert’s 4-man Saints backline. Aaron Ramsdale, Ben Brereton Diaz and Yukinari Sugawara are likely to be sold for a decent amount but what about the rest? Especially, those loan players who still have an existing contract at Southampton beyond this summer.
Juan Larios Southampton future following two 2025/26 loans
Among those 12 outgoing loanees, Juan Larios was the only Southampton player who joined 2 loan clubs in the Spanish second division. In La Liga 2, Larios first turned out for Cultural Leonesa and later, joined forces with former Saints interim boss Ruben Selles at Real Zaragoza.
Unfortunately for him, both of his loan clubs suffered relegation to the Spanish 3rd division last month. Across 30 games combined for both Cultural Leonesa and Real Zaragoza, Larios made 22 starts at left back and enjoyed a good season in terms of fitness after an injury-ridden career at St. Mary’s.
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Since his £6m move from Manchester City in 2022, Larios has only made 6 Saints first-team appearances to date. Most of them came in the 2022/23 season before recurring injuries dashed his chances of succeeding at the club.
Now, it’s plain and clear that Larios future lies out of Southampton with Tonda Eckert full stocked with Ryan Manning and Welington’s options at left-back.
La Liga 2 side shortlists Juan Larios as 2026 summer target
Recently, a fresh transfer update has arrived regarding Juan Larios. According to an El Territorio Cadista report, La Liga 2 side Cadiz have shortlisted Juan Larios as an option to bolster their left-back position for next season.
At 22 years old, Larios still has the prime years of his career ahead of him and the fact that he spent the past season in the same Spanish second division appeals to Cadiz. Going by the report, Cadiz had 21 year old fullback Raul Pereira for the same position but he has linked up with Real Zaragoza permanently, thus opening a left-back void at Cadiz.
Although Larios still has an year left on his Southampton contract, it’s more likely that Saints will accept a minimal bid to part ways with him. Should Larios join Cadiz, this can be a vital move to bring his career back on track.
Until May 2024, Cadiz spent four consecutive seasons in La Liga. Their best finish was at 12th in 2020/21 which shows Cadiz have enough potential to ascend to La Liga in an year or two. Provided Larios goes there and plays a handy role in their La Liga promotion, the Spaniard can have an actual shot at becoming a La Liga regular around the age of 25.
Let’s see whether Cadiz makes a concrete bid to Southampton and signs Larios over the summer.
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