Southampton face a major race against time to try and secure this late deal

Cameron Archer is set to link back up with former Southampton manager Will Still at Auxerre.

Indeed, reports filtering through on transfer deadline day indicate that Archer - who featured under the Belgian 13 times last season - is undergoing a medical to join the French side, after finding his first team minutes to be irregular so far this campaign.

Losing Archer does leave the Saints a little light on their feet up top, with Damion Downs also set to leave the building on loan, alongside the already departed Ben Brereton Diaz retreating back to Sheffield United.

Could Tonda Eckert and Co. get a last ditch move over the line just before the window shuts?

Speculation from Spain suggests they've been keeping tabs on this reserve Atletico Madrid attacker...

Southampton tipped to make last gasp move

Southampton have been here before in sealing exciting deals at the eleventh hour.

Indeed, last summer, they left it right down to the wire to snap up Leo Scienza, and he was worth every painstaking minute trying to get him through the door, as the silky Brazilian collected 17 goal contributions during his debut Championship season.

Using that same logic, it could be worth exploring a move for Carlos Martin, with the Atletico striker reportedly on the South Coast side's late transfer agenda, as per journalist Ruben Uria.

Uria speculates that the second tier promotion hopefuls have even made an inquiry for the in-demand Spaniard, with the 24-year-old also being looked at by Hadjuk Split in Croatia, alongside a sprinkling of La Liga suitors.

Of all the Spanish clubs named, with Valladolid, CD Tenerife, Castellón, and Almería mentioned, it does appear as if Levante will win his services before the window slams shut, as talks remain ongoing between the two parties.

Southampton have arguably left it too late to try and win another striker, to complement Cyle Larin and Divin Mubama, as Martin's signature likely passes them by.

Too little too late for the Saints?

The Madrid-born sensation does have a competent goalscoring record when eyeing up his numbers in his native country.

He has 15 goals next to his name plying his trade in La Liga 2, which is Spain's equvialent of the bruising Championship, for CD Mirandes, while also firing home a lethal 20 goals for the Atletico B team, away from senior chances under Diego Simeone here and there.

But, it would be an almighty gamble snapping him up, as he's never been exposed to the gruelling nature of the EFL, and he has just two La Liga goals from 43 appearances to show he's not always potent when the going gets tough.

At the end of the day, away from Zach Abbott's loan addition from Nottingham Forest, it does appear as if Eckert and Co. will miss out on another striker entering the ranks, and this doesn't have to be the end of the world.

Indeed, the South Coast giants handled the Millwall game just fine with the explosive attackers already at the German's fingertips, with Mubama a real menace when he was launched into the 5-1 win, and when he scored during the Stoke City victory.

The worry will be where the Saints turn to if Mubama gets injured, as the Manchester City loanee suffered a nasty injury on loan at Stoke last season, or if Larin went down with an untimely knock.

Hopefully, these worrying possibilites remain hypothetical, as Eckert should have enough in the squad he currently has to seal promotion.

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