Southampton look to conclude quick deal for Monaco's Argentinian striker Guido Carrillo

Southampton are attempting to quickly conclude a deal for Monaco’s Argentinian striker Guido Carrillo.

Manager Mauricio Pellegrino has been promised reinvestment this January following the £75 million sale of Virgil van Dijk and, with the team now only one point above the relegation zone and winless in the Premier League since November, a sense of urgency is developing about the situation.

There was an attempt to bring Theo Walcott back to a club he left 12 years ago, but he instead opted for Everton, and the focus now is on signing Carrillo. The 26 year-old has featured infrequently this season for Monaco in France’s Ligue 1 and Southampton hope to soon complete a deal that would cost around £15m.

Missing out on Walcott was still a considerable disappointment and, while they were reluctant to match Everton in terms of wages, they also discovered the added difficulty of attracting players in the context of their now precarious league position.

January 2018 transfer window

Walcott is adamant that his decision was not just about money and Southampton have also missed out this month to Everton on Turkey striker Cenk Tosun. As well as Carrillo, Southampton want to add a creative wide player who can add pace to their team.

Pellegrino’s position is now under considerable scrutiny and, while the club hierarchy are sympathetic to the difficulties he faced while Van Dijk was still in the dressing-room and evidently keen to leave, they are concerned by recent results.

At the start of the season, it was felt that the squad could realistically mirror what Burnley have done by potentially challenging to get into the top six, and certainly competing to finish best of the rest. There is still faith in a wider model and no desire to turn towards a manager who might be perceived more as a quick fix, but the final two weeks of the transfer window are becoming critical.