Saints have been reportably interested in Tottenham Hotspur right back Kyle Walker Peters for some time now, a loan deal was touted but it seems Spurs are willing to sell.
The rumour mill is saying that Tottenham Hotspur are willing to do a deal that would see Kyle Walker Peters leave the club on a permanent basis and that both Saints and Crystal Palace are interested in signing the right back.
The price quoted is £15 million and that seems reasonable given that Matt Targett fetched in £17 million in the summer when he joined Aston Villa.
However it should be noted that Walker Peters has very little actual experience at first team level, so far he has started only 9 Premier League games plus another 3 as sub with exactly the same total spread across the Cup competitions.
That is far less game time than Targett had for Saints or indeed out on loan and Jan Valery has more than that.
So at 22 Kyle Walker Peters is at a crossroads, his reputation is far more than his actual record of playing games, this season he has started 2 Premier League games one of which he was subbed off on the hour mark and this is his only league action.
So given that he broke into the Spurs team at 2 1/2 seasons ago you have to question why he has failed to add many other appearances to his name as he approaches 23 in April, whilst of course he has had competition for the right back spot he really should have played more.
So from this perspective £15 million looks a lot of money for a player who has yet to fulfill his potential or more pertinently actually been given many chances to do so given the number of games Spurs have played since his debut in all three cup competitions they have entered.
Whilst there can be no doubt that we need a right back with Cedric leaving at the end of the season or indeed this month if we could sign Walker Peters, it would be a big slap in the face for Yan Valery who a year ago looked to have a glittering career at St Mary's ahead of him, ironically enough one of Walker Peters starts was against Saints last season when we came back to win 2-1 a game in which Valery starred, something is amiss with Valery who this season seemed to fall out of favour quickly with Ralph Hasenhuttl and since then has made sporadic appearances and then apparently been ruled out by a succession of mystery injuries and virus's suggesting issues off the pitch rather than on it.
We will find out soon whether Saints are serious in the pursuit of the Spurs man or whether this is more of a stalking horse to deflect from our real transfer needs which lie in the centre of defence not to the sides.