Saints are about to smash their transfer record according to latest reports, but just who will be coming into the club and who will have the distinction of holding the record when the window shuts next eek.

Saints look likely to smash their own transfer record within the next day or so if reports are to be believed and the rumour is that it could be smashed not once but twice.

The first likely arrival is Sofiane Boufal from Lille with a fee of £20 million being quoted, this will beat the current record held by Dani Osvaldo when he was signed 3 years ago.

But that record might not last long if another target Simone ZaZa from Juventus is landed, that one is only 50/50 according to the media with West Ham being in the driving seat for a reported £24 million and Saints would have to match that if they want to land the striker.

If they failed to get Zaza, there are several other targets Saints will turn to, however none are likely to match the fee we are likely to pay for Boufal.

If the club did secure the services of both Boufal and Zaza, then that would be an outlay of around £45 million, coincidentally around about the amount that is the difference between the amount Saints have raked in this summer and the total they have already forked out.

This would certainly silence those supporters who have been criticising the club for their failure to spend big this summer, personally I have no problem with the club choosing their targets carefully and indeed in each of the past two summers it has been past the start of the season before we have completed our purchases.

Patience is a virtue and those who have held fire in the last two summers and not only waited for the transfer window to close before reserving judgement, but have also not judged the quality of the squad on the opening few games have been proved right.

Personally though I would like to see a central defender brought in, the reality is that even if Jose Fonte stays we do not have sufficient cover for him and VVW and the chances of them both being available for a minimum of 50 games without injury or suspension is remote.

Therefore perhaps the club will truly make a statement of intent by not only re investing the transfer fees received, but adding to that total by putting in some of the increased revenue from the Premier League, whilst I am an advocate of the strategy Saints are employing and I do not scream and shout and demand we try to match the big clubs for spending power, sometimes you do have to speculate to accumulate.

Photo: Action Images

abingdonsaint added 11:40 - Aug 25 Boufal has been a long term target, but I think Zaza is just rumour. Doesn't seem to fit our profile. Praet and Stanciu are apparently fallback options as 'number 10' if Boufal didn't come off. Saints being Saints though, there may well be something else in the pipeline....
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SonicBoom added 11:47 - Aug 25 You do indeed Nick. It's prudent to sell some players and then spend that money on the team. That does recycle the money nicely although fans will also ask why we can't dip into the increased cash the club gets in from the tV deal. Let's face it, it we really want a CB for example, we should have problem finding the cash.
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BaselSaint added 11:53 - Aug 25 I will never get accustomed to this last minute dealing. The people who are doing it must have nerves of steel. I cant handle it even as a fan but that is through lack of proper info I guess. Hate it...every year the same...
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DPeps added 11:58 - Aug 25 The Boufal link is being made by more credible sources now, so I think he will be the big signing. He looks like a gifted player and is very highly regarded across Europe. If you've not seen him play I'd recommend watching YouTube clips of him at work. Is it just me or do others reckon we need another defensive midfielder? We have a lot of good midfielders but only Romeu can really play that role. OK, Hojbjerg can but his attacking talents are wasted playing at DM. JWP, Clasie and Davis are a little too lightweight to play there, and Reed seems to get overlooked. I like Romeu but the diamond requires a very good DM and I'd like to see us get another in to strengthen the options. We seemed to lack physicality in midfield when Romeu went off against Utd.

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aceofthebase added 12:11 - Aug 25 If only we were awash with Central Defenders I would play VVD as the striker. He would provide height and skill and goals. After a season would be valued at about 60 million. Dream on eh!
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aceofthebase added 12:13 - Aug 25 PS Nick. VVW has moved to Spurs! lol
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the_saint added 12:23 - Aug 25 I just don't understand why the transfer window does not close before the season starts then we Could have a nice settled side all deals done and maybe a couple more points on the board which could make all the difference at the end of season
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bstokesaint added 13:17 - Aug 25 2-3 quality signings would keep me quiet and get me excited again. I don't think I'm alone when I say things feel a little flat at the moment. We don't have a bad squad, but we seem to have lost the X-factor that'll see us have another record breaking year. We really need some goals and a centre back to make this happen.
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pintsizedsaint added 13:21 - Aug 25 Ironically, Wanyama would have been ideally suited to a diamond formation! However, I think Romeu is also suited to that role - yet as the Manure game showed, we may lack a little bit of suitable depth for that DM role (Hojbejerg aside) and so Puel must be thinking about plan b formations too. As for these impending transfers - I like Boufal but we must be realistic. Rumours are abound that we've been courting him all summer but he's been holding out for a 'top club'. He also has that odd arrangement of having several members of his family as agents - and apparently SFC has to deal with all of them! He doesn't sound like a classic fit for the Southampton Way and i expect he is only interested in showcasing his talent in the EPL and then moving on to Liverpool etc. etc. Which is fine - that is modern day football - if we can get value out of him and then sell on for a good profit then so be it. But let's be realistic: if he comes and talks about how much he loves it here/kisses the badge etc. we just see it for what it is: another Wanyama. That said, i would prefer if we got somebody else in who was perhaps less overtly looking at Saints as a stepping stone and so we may have more success in getting them to extend their stay. Stanciu looks more like in this mould - and a good player too (decent Euro 2016 for what it was worth). However, it does seem as if Sanciu is being used as bait by SFC to get Boufal to commit.

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ExiledSupporter added 13:28 - Aug 25 I'd buy Stanciu too and make it known that we would consider offers for JWP, I can't see what he gives us going forward!
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BoondockSaint added 13:46 - Aug 25 Sorry Pintsized! I accidentally clicked the down arrow! I meant to agree, so you should be at 2 "ups".not 0.,
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bstokesaint added 13:54 - Aug 25 I put in one correction for you Boondock!
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DPeps added 14:33 - Aug 25 Jeez - I just down-arrowed you bstokesaint when I meant to agree with your comment. I love how courteous we are on this site. Not like the rabble on the DE! JWP can't leave. The SFC marketing team would have no pictures to use
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abingdonsaint added 15:00 - Aug 25 Boufal is by all accounts a talent, and may well be using us as a stepping stone, as did Mane, but for us at the moment this is a legitimate strategy as long as we continue to use the profits and reinvest wisely. Basically, we are trying to compete with the 'big clubs' by developing young players who are, or will be, better than theirs. The financial reality of this is that they will then want to buy them from us. Why is this such a problem? The alternative is to do what for instance Sunderland do, and buy players the 'big clubs' DON'T want. I think our way is proving more successful.....

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Gizzle007 added 16:57 - Aug 25 From the vidoes I have watched of him he dies seem a very tadic like player and isn't scared to shoot, I mean two tadic type players on tge pitch coming from both sides can only be good, and it does loak like the ball just sticks to his feet but does seem to be on the ground a lot but then again mane last season was second or third most fouled player just simply cause the couldn't catch him so I would fully support this signing just a couple more now and saints will be strong enough and ready

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