The mood at Southampton, heading into the Championship opening weekend, is overwhelmingly positive.
Indeed, even with Spygate still ticking away in the background, and Tonda Eckert's future on the sidelines up in the air, the overriding feeling heading into the upcoming campaign is that the Saints will be in and around the promotion spaces.
The £9m addition of Lewis Dobbin has been the standout bit of business so far this summer, and with the ex-Aston Villa attacker bagging three goals in pre-season, the feel towards the versatile forward is he can be the main spark that propels Southampton back into the promotion conversation.
There is one fanciful rumour that is being discussed in some circles at the moment that would mean the South Coast giants would undoubtedly be considered the frontrunners to, perhaps, even win the entire division...
Southampton's supposed transfer target
It might just be social media gossip, but there seems to be a lot of people online suggesting that the Saints are in the mix for Žan Vipotnik from Swansea City.
Bagging 23 league goals last season for the South Wales giants, which resulted in him winning the lavish honour of the Championship golden boot, the sublime Slovenian had reportedly been on Coventry City's transfer agenda this summer, as they prepare for the brutal challenge of Premier League survival.
4 in 4 for Vipi 💥🎯 pic.twitter.com/w2Ae1k3Cwp
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) September 13, 2025
Southampton's name has now surprisingly popped up alongside Frank Lampard's Sky Blues as a supposed interested party, but the legitimacy of these links is sketchy, to say the least.
Until a concrete source reports on this news, it does feel like a bit like a rumour generated out of boredom.
Could Southampton pull off such an ambitious deal, with £20m the rumoured price-tag for the one-time Bordeaux centre-forward?
It does feel far-fetched, particularly as Coventry will have cash to burn in their pursuit of safety, but it shouldn't be ruled out completely.
Could this ambitious deal be pulled off?
Sometimes, sideways moves occur out of nowhere.
For instance, this summer in the second tier, Jack Moylan has now left Lincoln City behind for Cardiff City, despite the Imps winning the League One title last season, while the Bluebirds got over the line in second spot.
Despite that, Moylan has waved goodbye to Sincil Bank for a shot at glory in Wales, so if Southampton can cough up the right amount of money for the Slovenian's services, he could move within the same division to the astonishment of many.
With the money for Charles also about to come in, Southampton could be fancying a signing that sends significant tremors through the division, and Vipotnik definitely fits that bill.
The Saints have also been actively looking for a brand-new striker all summer long, and would love to poach Vipotnik from the Swans to fill a hole, with Ross Stewart set to join the Swansea.com Stadium ranks.
The Championship is a funny old league, with hushed whispers about a certain transfer story occurring then quickly becoming reality.
In this instance, it does feel like a pipedream that Southampton will be in a bidding war for one of the Championship's most red-hot strikers.
But, Saints fans were told that winning back Cyle Larin and Daniel Peretz on permanent transfers was the stuff of dreams, and both deals came to fruition.
With a less than a month left now until the window slams shut, expect more crazy rumours to be discussed, with the second tier never failing to entertain.
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