Four ins and outs Southampton could complete in window’s final days

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Southampton are hoping for a much better season than they endured last campaign, with the Saints flirting with relegation.

Mark Hughes side have been active in the market this summer to land Jannik Vestergaard, Mohamed Elyounoussi, Angus Gunn and Stuart Armstrong but there’s a strong chance of further deals taking place in the coming days.

The Saints are understood to be eyeing new additions at both ends of the field and could also see a number of departures occur on the south coast.

Here, we have identified four deals Southampton could secure this week.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Hertha Berlin

Arriving as a significant coup from Bayern Munich in 2016, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has struggled for consistency at Southampton but seemed to have turned a corner in the second half of last season as he helped the club retain their Premier League status.

German outlet Berliner MorgenPost state a return to the Bundesliga could be on the cards as Hertha Berlin have turned their attention to the 23-year-old in their quest to land a new midfielder, with Hojbjerg potentially partnering Manchester United youngster Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

Hojbjerg has made 45 Premier League appearances for Southampton but is yet to score a league goal.

Danny Ings: Liverpool

Danny Ings looks likely to leave Liverpool in the final few days of the transfer market after an injury-plagued spell at Anfield and Southampton are just one of the clubs linked with the services of the 25-year-old.

The Sun stated last month that Southampton are only prepared to pay half of Liverpool’s £20m valuation of the former Burnley man and that could have affected the club’s hopes of a deal, with Crystal Palace and Newcastle also in the hunt.

According to The Mirror, it is currently Crystal Palace leading the charge.

Fraser Forster to leave

30-year-old former Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster has seen his stock decline significantly in recent campaigns, with the six-cap England international falling out of favour at Southampton and subsequently out of the international picture.

Mark Hughes confirmed to The Daily Echo recently that Forster was mulling over his options after being informed he was surplus to requirements on the south coast but it is not clear where he will spend the 2018-19 campaign.

“I had a conversation with him earlier in the season and said from his point of view he needs to get back playing and he agrees with that. We are looking at options and seeing if we could get him to a place that he would feel is appropriate for his talents.”

– Hughes confirms Forster is off.

Kevin Malcuit: Lille

Perhaps one of the more dramatic sagas concerning Southampton this summer involves the club’s pursuit of Lille defender Kevin Malcuit, who is poised to leave the Ligue 1 side but there is still a debate as to where he will end up.

Gianluca Di Marzio stated that Southampton offered a better financial deal to Malcuit than Serie A giants Napoli, although CalcioMercato have since stated that the right-back has arrived in Naples for a medical ahead of a proposed transfer.

The Serie A giants certainly hold the advantage in the market and can negotiate a deal until the end of August, while Southampton have days to negotiate a hijacking of the deal.