Southampton are now days away from competing in this season's intense Championship playoff matches.
Indeed, the Saints will head to the Riverside Stadium to face Middlesbrough in the first of two legs this coming Saturday, with the winner then progressing through to the nail-biting final at Wembley.
Tonda Eckert's men will fancy their chances of another promotion, via the tense Wembley route, having won promotion to the Premier League this nerve-wracking way under Russell Martin in 2024.
Already, reports have come out to suggest the Saints are doing some scouting, ahead of the summer transfer window, with the targets they're trying to tempt to the South Coast, surely dependant on if they instantly return to the Premier League, or fall at this playoff hurdle.
Southampton's scouting adventures ahead of the playoffs
Southampton appears to be casting its net out into far-off lands, based on new reports, with scouts watching on from the Championship promotion chasers, at Porto's last Liga Portugal match versus Alverca, as Francesco Farioli's men confirmed their title win.
Coincidentally, Jan Bednarek - who was a much-loved Saints servant before moving to Porto - would nod home the winner, but he won't be on the Southampton summer shopping list.
Instead, as per Portuguese outlet A Bola and Record, Southampton have their eye on a wide array of targets, including Porto right-back Alberto Costa, with the Saints' only real right-back pick at the moment, James Bree.
Noted as looking at Porto midfield anchor Alan Varela, as well, it's clear that this scouting trip was more than just soaking up the unbelievable atmosphere of the Portuguese giants hoisting the Liga Portugal title aloft.
Rather, the planning is already in place for what should be a bumper summer, particularly if promotion is won, as Eckert and Co. try to build a more comfortable Premier League machine, instead of the one that crashed and burned under Martin.
All this summer spending will depend on what league Southampton call home, obviously, with the lottery of the playoffs hopefully working in the South Coast outfit's favour.
Southampton's summer spending will depend on promotion
The report further states that if Southampton were to stumble in their bid for promotion glory, they could look to snap up some of Alverca's youngsters instead, with Porto's prized assets very much off the cards.
Indeed, Chiquinho - who is on loan to the Liga Portugal from Wolverhampton Wanderers - could take their fancy in this regard, with young, explosive talent potentially taking the Championship by storm.
Ideally, though, Southampton will be able to attract players from the Liga Portugal winning side to England, with promotion to the Premier League last time seeing them strike gold with a midfield talent from Lisbon.
Mateus Fernandes proved to be an instant hit after they gambled on his services from Sporting last summer, with the promising 21-year-old now on the books at West Ham United and allegedly being eyed up by Manchester United.
Their next Fernandes in the making could arrive to English shores shortly, but before anyone gets too carried away with transfer talk, the playoffs is all that matters, as Eckert and Co. become laser focused on beating Boro, to head back to Wembley.
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