Southampton are hopeful of re-signing Theo Walcott from Everton.
The two clubs have held talks about a loan deal which would see winger Walcott, 31, make an emotional return to the club where he first burst onto the scene, making his first-team debut as a 16-year-old.
Southampton completed the signing of £12million midfielder Ibrahima Diallo from Stade Brest yesterday and were plotting further business on deadline day.
They were likely to be loan deals though also reliant on the parent clubs of their targets subsidising wages.
That has been one stumbling block in Southampton’s interest in Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek and is an issue in their attempts to sign Walcott, who earns around £100,00-per week.
Walcott came through the ranks at Southampton before joining Arsenal in 2006 and spending 12 years at the Emirates.
He then moved to Everton for £20m in January 2018 but has been squeezed out at Goodison Park, making just one substitute appearances in the league so far this season.
But he would be an experienced addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad and give them extra depth in the wide areas where they have been hit by injuries.
Manchester United’s Brandon Williams is another loan target for Southampton.