Southampton are chasing Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Amadou Haidara.
The Mirror says Mark Hughes suffered a transfer blow this week when Norwich playmaker James Maddison opted for Leicester over a move to St Mary's.
But the Saints' new permanent boss has other midfielders in his sights including Haidara, the 20 year-old Malian who is valued at around £15million and was one of Salzburg's standout stars last season.
Haidara made 46 appearances in his breakthrough season to help them win the Austrian league and reach the Europa League semi-finals.
He is primarily a central midfielder, but has also been deployed out wide.