Southampton should sell Danny Ings in the current transfer window, says former Saints midfielder Carlton Palmer.

Ings once again finished the season as Southampton's top scorer in all competitions, registering 13 times during the 2020/21 campaign.

However, the English striker's future looks to be away from St. Mary's. According to The Athletic, he has turned down a new contract, with his current one - worth £75,000 a week - set to expire next summer.

It leaves the south coast club with a huge decision to make: sell now or risk losing him on a free transfer. For Palmer, it should be the former.

"I don't like players going down into the last year of their contract," the ex-Southampton star told TT in an exclusive interview.

"I would sit down with him now and say, 'Right, listen, if you're not going to commit to a long-term contract, it's better that you move on now.' Do the business now, move him on. Get some money for him and move him on."

If Southampton can get £30m or something around that for Ings this summer, then it probably does make sense to sell him.

It, of course, will give Ralph Hasenhuttl a bigger budget to work with when it comes to searching for a replacement. And as things stand, the Saints finding themselves in the market looking for a new striker looks inevitable.