Saints are being linked with a defensive midfielder from Athletico Madrid to replace Victor Wanyama whenever they decide to cash in on him.

Saints are looking at Athletico Madrid's Thomas Partey as a long term replacement for Wanyama.

Partey is 22 years old but has only just broken into Athletico's first team having spent most of the last two season's out on loan, firstly at Mallorca who were then freshly relegated to the second tier of Spanish football and then last season he went to Almeira on loan where he scored 4 goals in 31 appearances.

That prompted Athletico to add him to their squad for this season and he made his first team bow back in November and since then has made 5 appearances scoring on January 2nd against Levante for the game's only goal.

Watford have been interested and reportably had a £6.5 million bid turned down last summer.

Saints will have to increase that figure if they want to land the player who prefers to be known just as Thomas on his shirt, however perhaps Athletio will feel that they owe Saints a favour after the events of last summer and Alderveireld.

Certainly the way Saints work these days is that they try to get a players replacement in before he has gone, if Thomas was to come now in this window it would leave Saints top heavy with central midfielders, however with the improving Clasie & Romeu now getting the chance to show that they are a duo to be reckoned with as Wanyama sits out the next two games, if they do well and Saints land Thomas at the right price, it could mean that they would be willing to get shot of the disinterested Kenyan if they were offered silly money.

Photo: Action Images

SaintPaulVW added 12:31 - Jan 6 But.....will Saints get offered silly money for Wanyama? Arsenal were supposedly interested in Schneiderlin year after year and....they never made a bid. The only other supposed interest is from Spuds.....silly money offer yes - but the wrong type of silly money.
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schatfield added 12:49 - Jan 6 are these articles being written based on what is in the daily mail?
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DPeps added 12:52 - Jan 6 This link sounds like tosh. If he's getting first team football at AM why would he come to us? And why would AM sell him?
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SaintBrock added 14:44 - Jan 6 Peps spot on! Who are we in comparison to what he already has and a lousy climate to boot - that's not suntan amigo, it's rust!
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TimSaint added 15:13 - Jan 6 We should be able to get a good deal here, as surely Atletico still owe us from that farce of a deal involving Toby last summer. Still not heard if we actually got any compensation from that, or if AM paid up the agreed sum if they chose to sell on.
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SaintBrock added 16:38 - Jan 6 Tim, this is football 21st C style, do you really believe there is such a thing as honour in the professional game these days? The lawyers will always find the small print to disavow any such promises or obligations. We live in a world where a handshake on anything is perceived as a sign of weakness. Les just ain't cute enough, he comes from bygone times just like me and probably you, sadly.

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Big_T added 19:32 - Jan 6 I say get replacements for wantawayyama and cannot tell the time Manè, bed them into the team, let those two rot in the reserves until summer then goodbye and thank you very much.
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