Saints are being touted to smash their transfer record and in doing so link Ralph Hasenhuttl with one of his former players.

The man being linked is Everton's Ademola Lookman who spent the second half of last season playing under the Saints boss at RB Leipzig scoring 5 times in 11 appearances.

The 21 year old joined the Toffee's from Charlton in January 2017 after scoring 10 goals in 45 appearances prompting Everton to pay £7.5 million with the potential to rise to £11 million with add ons.

Lookman is obviously a raw talent and has struggled to get into the Everton side this season, he has played 11 times but only 1 of those has been in the starting line up, ironically he did start against Saints earlier in the season at Goodison in the League cup where he played the first hour before being substituted, he has yet to score in the Premier League this season but did score the opening goal in Everton's 2-1 win over Lincoln City on Saturday.

He played against Saints last season at St Mary's when the Toffee's where beaten 4-1, he came on in the 64th minute with Everton already 3-1 down.

The issue would be the price, RB Leipzig tried to sign him in the summer but walked away after allegedly being quoted £28 million, Saints are unlikely to pay that much for a player who has little pedigree and has scored so few goals.

Comparisons can be drawn with Dominic Solanke who this week joined Bournemouth from Liverpool for a reported £19 million, even that fee seems a little overpriced and I can't see Saints doing business at anything over that fee let alone £28 million.

So it's hard to see this transfer being anything else other than rumour probably with Everton trying to generate some interest in the player and the media putting two and two together due to the connection between Hasenhuttl and Lookman at RB Leipzig.

Photo: Action Images

bstokesaint added 23:58 - Jan 8 Not convinced that another record breaking transfer on an unproven front man is the answer to anything. We need central defenders!
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KriSaint added 00:29 - Jan 9 A lone deal for the rest of the season would be great. Could be benificial to all involved parties so why not?
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1970 added 07:03 - Jan 9 It is clear we need players asap but this owner is proving he hasn't got a pot to p^ss in buy selling off the crown jewels in gabbiadini,cedric and anyone else that is worth anything, I wouldn't be surprised if we sold mc carthy for ten million and kept forster as the most expensive number 2 in world football, Bertrand would go if he had been playing in the last few games we seem a very desperate organisation that can only add players if they can get rid of the assests, I know some on here don't rate Gabbi or cedric but these players are serious quality that play for the best teams in the world internationally but in those teams they are not isolated when they get the ball they have unlimited support from there team mates at saints everyone runs away from even accepting a throw-in I know I have seen this embarrassing situation quite often when no-one wants the ball,if your a youngster in the first team the seniors will rally around you but if you are a good player you are on your own which is why we sell the likes of those above and anyone else that is worth anything we need to build something not help everyone else top up there bench,if we need a striker why don't we get Carillo back so ralph can have a look or boufal , you cant tell me they are committed to season long loans because only saints would be stupid enough to do that, where are our new defenders???

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DPeps added 08:28 - Jan 9 Yes, a central defender is more important but if we're selling Gabbi then we'll certainly need another forward. Ings and Austin are too injury prone to rely on, and too soon to depend on Obafemi.
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SaintNick added 08:51 - Jan 9 1970, why is this owner proving he hasnt got a pot to p*** in ? The set up of the club is exactly the same as it was under Markus Liebherr, the strategy is that the club is run as a business and has to generate its own income. So suddenly Cedric and Gabbiadini are the crown jewels rather than two players who have under performed, the squad is too big people have to go so that new players will come in. Gabbiadini is a decent goalscorer used in the right way, but right from the start it was clear he wasnt suited to the way that saints played he has scored 12 goals for the club, 6 of them were in his first 4 games since then he has scored only 6 Premier League goals 1 of them a penalty, his record is only marginally better than Shane Longs

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wibbersda added 09:31 - Jan 9 Do we really need to waste more money on a "Raw Talent" unproven forward?
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highfield49 added 10:51 - Jan 9 Whilst we're all desperate to see some new faces in the squad, those with genuine potential to take us well clear of the relegation places, I wouldn't be overjoyed at paying £19m for Solanke never mind Lookman. Whatever happens in the transfer/loan market I can't envisage the club broadcasting player's names to the world before the deal is done. I think I'm right in saying that Alfie Jones, Josh Sims and Forster were all training with the first team squad this week and that might have some influence not only on team selection this month but also indicate certain players will be moving on?

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SaintBrock added 12:27 - Jan 9 We need more than one forward if we can rid ourselves of Long and Austin and restore some sanity up-front.
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1970 added 13:41 - Jan 9 Saint Nick I find it very strange that a person would spend 200 million on something and not have a team of people already alongside him to bring in with fresh ideas to deal with the mess he had inherited not doing so means he is happy to polish a turd or go along with the business as you call it in selling our best assets and going now-where, and yes these players mentioned are our crown jewels because if anything they are worth money, we have a crying need for at least one defender so if this man had any cash at all he would of acted before this window in actively seeking players and definitely by now to get one even a loan, the fact we are waiting for the only players worth anything to be sold before we get one means that even with the premier league cash we are still skint,you may have liked the way we cashed in under KL but I'd prefer to have an owner that can build something, Marcus wasn't here long enough for you to suggest his tactics were the same as is. coyr

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SaintStu7 added 17:04 - Jan 9 1970 “the mess that he had inherited”. What mess was that exactly? A team brought from League One to playing European football. I think you need to be realistic and maybe do some maths. We’ve spent more than we have made in player sales and don’t forget we are now paying the wages of a massive squad all on a fortune. We have done this to keep up with the rest. We can never compete or should we try with the top six this would be a road to disaster. Squad management is important and knowing the best time to sell, we just need to make sure we get the right players in which has not always been the case recently. Spending ridiculous amounts on average players won’t help, how much is Carillo worth now compared to Obafemi?

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aceofthebase added 19:33 - Jan 9 1970 more than anything we need a full stop! I was breathless reading your blog.
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1970 added 20:31 - Jan 9 aceofthebase yes sorry dude it was a proper rant lol, SaintStu7 the mess being top 8 finishes to the last game of last season to save us from relegation that is the mess trying to sustain mediocrity. the maths you and I will never know but what we do know is those in charge are making money that's why the model doesn't ever change no other clubs make wholesale changes every season in the name of business or survival, the league is awash with money, even Bournemouth are putting there ambition first,

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LoisDeem added 10:08 - Jan 10 With all due respect to Ralph and all his newfound prodigies, it's plain at this time, that we will regret (forever?) not reinforcing our ranks with quality in central defence and attack. The 'transfer window' could not be better timed for us to benefit, and I'm not talking about our usual January clearance offers, I'm referring to redressing the balance mainly caused by this club's negligent and collective 'muddle management' in the last few years. The short sighted none in before we move some posture is the most reckless and foolhardy option. Come on Krueger and cohorts, you backed your failed managers, now show us you've got the spunk to back this one properly. Consensus among the majority of battle weary hardcore fans and critics indicates that this appointment feels right, and not a poor gamble, so show the courage of your convictions, and back him properly and honestly. This fan is not usually an advocate of recourse to the transfer market as a solution, but this time it's glaringly obvious that you need to support your new found youth policy (cost cutting?) with some experience. With all due respect, this fanbase does not expect to be looking up to BHA and Cherries, and that's quite a mild expectation, and unheard of several years ago.

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underweststand added 14:53 - Jan 10 Those players who have not passed the " Haslehuttl toughness test" simply have no future at the club, regardless of past records or what fine fellows they may be in private. A highly-paid striker like Gabbiadini with such a poor record of conversions has no place in an RH squad as he's not cut out for the high-energy /high pressing game like Ralph. In old footballing terminology - you're only as good as your last game - and it's a long time since Gabbi had a half-decent game. OK maybe not altogether his fault, wrong formation etc, etc, but the fact remains- a striker who can't score goals has no place in the team that are struggling for goals. Why sell him, quite simply none of the others so-called strikers are interesting enough for other clubs at this level. I am fairly certain that Gabbiadini will score goals when he returns to Italy, where they play a formation that is tailor-made for him, but the idea of building a team around one player is a dangerous proposition these days - especially in the Prem. As for a replacement ...(?) whether it's Lookman ....or a" look-a-like" ... Saints cannot be expected to fork our £20-25 million even for a mediocre player, as that price level is no guarantee of anything nowadays. But a young lad, keen to make his mark in the Prem. and get regular game time is as good an incentive as any. After the Boufal, Carrillo, and Elyounoussi transfer debacles - could it be worse?

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