Ings weighing up Southampton future for Champions League football

Danny Ings is in no rush to sign Southampton's offer of a new long-term deal, claims The Daily Telegraph.

The 28-year-old has entered the final two years of his current Southampton deal and the club are desperate to secure his best remaining years.

Ings has acknowledged Southampton's current contract offer is a good one but he first wants to explore his options.

The England international is aware he is now entering what are usually considered peak years and he is desperate to have another crack at playing in the Champions League.

Ings had a taste of Champions League football during his time with Liverpool but was limited to just four substitute appearances in 2017/18.

Hasenhuttl has challenged Ings to fire Southampton into Europe's elite club competition, with the club currently five points adrift of fourth place.

Pledging to a new long-term deal with Southampton now would rule out any summer move for Ings.

Ings is not pushing to leave Southampton but just wants to keep his options open before making a decision on his future.

Tottenham expressed an interest in Ings in the summer before eventually signing Carlos Vinicius on loan from Benfica.

Since the beginning of last season, only Jamie Vardy (34), Mo Salah (32) and Harry Kane (30) have scored more Premier League goals than Ings (29).