Southampton turn their attention towards signing on-loan Championship right back Kaine Kesler-Hayden from Aston Villa.
Some time ago, Sky Sports touted Sunderland fullback Dennis Cirkin as Southampton's best shot at a summer reinforcement. And a must-do one to replace their veteran star Kyle Walker-Peters.
Now, the 22-year-old talent with appreciable Championship experience feels like a brilliant KWP replacement, doesn't it? Yet that's the catch, the Saints must avoid.
Already up and competing in the promotion finals, Cirkin is sure to attract a lot of suitors in this transfer window. Naturally, it would take massive cash flow from the Saints to compensate for the defender's vast second-division experience.
Well, that's true for most of the other replacements that are tipped to be considerable fee signings. Needless to say, that goes against the Saints' motive to cut costs in a Championship campaign next.
But worry no more, Saints fans, as the club is linked to a new prospect that surely crosses all barriers of financial difficulties.
It's Preston's right-back, Kaine Kesler-Hayden.
Recently, Birmingham World(via Daily Echo) confirmed that the Saints are now truly side by side with Coventry in the full-back's transfer race.
Southampton must beat Coventry to Kesler-Hayden's signing
Still, it feels like a challenging job for Southampton, who will need to defeat their Championship competitors to win the Aston Villa loanee's signatures. But it could be one worth all their effort.
Interestingly, having recently avoided relegation with Preston, Kesler-Hayden might be one of the cheapest reinforcements Southampton must vouch for. And truly worth considering, given the exceptionally brilliant season he has had.
Going by his stats, the right-back accounted for 5 goal contributions in his consistently appreciable performances over the season.
And for the question of why Aston Villa would offload him to Southampton? Well, just last summer, the Saints bought Cameron Archer from the Villans, showing an active transfer route between the two.
Additionally, for Kesler-Hayden, who's still considered far from Premier League material by Aston Villa, as per Birmingham reports, Southampton could be the best transition club to help him reach the next rank.
Let's see how this transfer rumour shapes up this summer.