With tonight's 11pm transfer deadline looming and no one through the door yet, Saints may have to move for their fall back options with the crisis in the centre of defence at the moment.
Saints have been looking to sign a central defender throughout this transfer window, but their problem is the January portal is a sellers market and the sellers always hang on to the last minute to squeeze the last penny out of desperate clubs.
The rumour doing the rounds back in December was that Saints target was signed sealed and delivered pending the issue of a work permit, however more than a month later and the signing has not materialised, suggesting that the work permit was not granted.
Mamadou Sakho has also looked to be Saints main target, yet that deal has not moved, the stumbling blocks being firstly that Liverpool are looking to get back more than they paid for the French defender and then there is the question of the players wages, both are major stumbling blocks and Liverpool after falling out with Sakho are in no hurry to end his misery at the club cheaply.
Crystal Palace are also sniffing around and as their position worsens they may panc and throw money at trying to save their skin, but Saints seem to be the players favoured destination, if the deal can be done.
Saints are now turning to different options, the first could be Serdar Tasci who is at Spartak Moscow and in the final months of his contract, a loan move looks likely but even if they bring him in Saints are still likely to want a second central defensive signing.
The media are reporting that Saints are going head to head with Leicester for two targets and that whoever wins the race for one it will see the loser go to the other.
The main target seems to be Udinese central defender Molla Wague in a loan deal, the 25 year old is out of favour at the Italian club this season, however Leicester seem to be winning the race on this one with Campions League football on offer.
If Leicester land Molla Saints could go for the other target both clubs have been chasing, Anderlecht's Kara Mbodji, Leicester were rumoured to have had a 10.5 million euro bid turned down hence turning to Wague, but Saints could move in and tempt the Belgium club with a higher offer.
These are the options being reported as on Saints radar, but do the club have someone else in mind, someone who they are playing their cards close to their chest and the media are unaware of ?