Southampton are showing an interest in signing an Aston Villa star in the summer transfer window as they aim to build a squad capable of gaining promotion to the Premier League.
The Saints will be incredibly disappointed that they failed to gain promotion to the Premier League last season.
The South Coast club were preparing to play in the Championship Playoff Final against Hull City before they were removed from the competition for spying on Middlesbrough ahead of their semi-final clash.
It's now back to square one for the Saints in what is a huge blow after such a gruelling 25/26 campaign.
After failing to gain promotion, some of their star players will be looking for the exit door, which means we could see a host of players join the club.
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According to a report from Darren Witcoop, Southampton are one of the sides showing an interest in signing Aston Villa forward Lewis Dobbin in the summer transfer window.
The journalist claims that Aston Villa are hoping to sell him on a permanent transfer rather than sanctioning another loan after he spent last season with Preston North End.
Dobbin, who can play out wide or through the middle of attack, enjoyed a strong loan spell in the Championship last season, providing 18 goals and assists in 33 starts in the league.
It remains to be seen whether the Saints will be willing to sign him on a permanent deal or if they're looking to bring him in on loan.
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It's shaping up to be an incredibly strong Championship for the 26-27 season, with Wolves and West Ham both relegated to the second tier.
Both Wolves and West Ham have a strong core of Premier League-level players, and they're unlikely to sell all of them in the summer transfer window.
Wolves have already tied down Andre to a new contract, while West Ham still have the likes of Jarrod Bowen on their books.
As a result, Aston will need to bring in reinforcements for the summer transfer window if they want to be in contention for the automatic promotion spots.