With cash likely to be limited at all football clubs this summer, Saints are said to be looking for swap deals as they look to get some of those out on loan off the books, already they are being linked with two possibilities.
Saints are willing to let Fraser Forster go to Celtic the stumbling block though is cash, the Scottish club do not have the funds to pay either Forster's transfer value or his wages and the corona virus effects have not helped.
So the talk in Glasgow is that the two clubs are looking at a swap deal with French midfielder Olivier Ntcham coming South.
Saints are said to have been tracking the 24 year old Ntcham since the start of the year and he would make a good replacement for Pierre Emile Hojbjerg should the Dane move to Spurs or even Everton.
Ntcham fits the profile that Saints look for in a player, after leaving Le Havre in France he joined Manchester City but spent two years with Genoa on loan and left for Celtic in 2017 without playing for City's first team.
At Celtic he has played plenty of games, but he feels that the Scottish Premier League is not a strong enough level and is holding back his promotion from the French U21 squad up to the full national side and that to do that he needs to test himself at a higher level.
That is music to the ears to Saints who look for players with potntial but just as importantly drive and ambition.
This means that a swap deal could suit both parties Ntcham would perhaps be valued at slightly less than the £11 million or so Saints would want for Forster, but bridging that gap would not be a major problem.
But Olivier Ntcham is not the only swap deal that could be on the table, Tottenham Hotspur are said to be feeling the Corona Virus pinch and might themselves be unable to buy Pierre Emile Hojbjerg using purely cash.
They are said to be looking at who they could offer in part exchange for the Saints midfielder, Kyle Walker - Peters is the obvious option, but it is far from clear whether Ralph Hasenhuttl wants to sign the player, Walker-Peters made only one appearance before the suspension of football, although Spurs sources say that is because he arrived at St Mary's with a hamstring injury and that prevented him from playing more.
So it is unclear whether Saints would be interested in Walker - Peters, if they aren't then Spurs are said to be looking at other options in their squad to offer in exchange for Hojberg.