Saints are being reported as ready to try and land two long term targets when the transfer window opens again in the next two weeks.
The first is Genk right back Joakim Maehle, a year ago Saints tried to buy him but Genk still in the Europa League were not keen to sell. After they were knocked out Maehle subsequently admitted he was interested in moving to St Mary's, stating "it was a nice proposal from a big club in a big competition"
Ralph Hasenhuttl seems to have lost faith in Jan Valery and with Cedric out of contract at the end of the season, Saints may be willing to sell him cheaply to get his wages off the books and bring in new blood and Maehle who can also play in right midfield fits the bill.
The 22 year old Dane is valued at around £8 million according to various footballing data bases.
Another that Saints have been tracking for a while is Marin Pongracic a central defender at Red Bull Salzburg, he has struggled with injury in the first half of the season and has struggled to regain his place in the team and Saints are ready to step in, however at 22 it is questionable whether he has the experience needed to steady and organise our defence.
However he could be another cheap option at around the £5 million mark and we could acquire both of these players and still have room to bring in an experienced central defender.
Whilst Saints are reported as having to sell before they can buy, they do have funds available and with Cedric, Shane Long and Yoshida all out of contract in the summer, they will shed a fair amount of income off the wage bill and can afford to overspend in this department for a short period.
Sources report that Hasenhuttl is looking in trying to bring in at least three players in January with the emphasis on defence but also looking at the midfield.
The January window will be crucial for the club, the reality is that if we sign the right defenders we have a very good chance of survival, if we fail to do so then it would be difficult.