Southampton manager Claude Puel has been unable to confirm nor deny whether Jose Fonte will join West Ham United.

The Portuguese defender, and Saints captain, has handed in a transfer request and is expected to leave St Mary's this month.

Puel will keep Fonte out of his match day squad while the situation is unsolved but the French manager could not comment on whether or not Southampton had received a bid from the Hammers.

"The situation for Jose is the same for the moment," Puel said.

"I don't comment of course on the situation of different possibilities with different clubs, but for the moment we stay with the same consideration about the situation.

"I prefer for the moment staying [with] Jose out of the team, to leave him the opportunity to study different solutions for him and for us to stay focused about all the players who are available to start in the team."

He added: "I cannot make a comment about for the moment what is speculation.

"It is just things between him, the clubs and Southampton."