Southampton owner Gao Lisheng plans to purchase a club in either Switzerland or Austria to serve as a partner club with Saints.

The set-up would help Southampton bring through players in a system that mirrors their own rather than send them out on loan without much control.

Saints chairman Ralph Krueger explained: "It can range all the way from working together from clubs in another league only on player exchanges all the way to actually investing in clubs in other leagues like Switzerland or Austria or somewhere you would see as a step into the club.

"We are looking at some options there and also from my past some of the connections to be able to have a better transition.

"We are finding it more and more difficult because the Premier League is getting better every year the jump from the under-23s into the first team is getting more challenging. Also because our roster had to get deeper to compete at the highest level.

"We would see that as the opportunity to control the development of a player versus loaning them out. It's the option of investing in the coaching and development of a club in another league where a player could transition through, or even at the end of his career transition out.

"We really like too to offer players a pathway at the end of their career.

"It's something we really dove deep into last fall but had to pause it but I am going to be revisiting it and hopefully within about three months I can tell you in which way and how much.

"We are also speaking to Mr Gao very intently about that.

"We believe investment in that form would be a better type of investment for the health and sustainability of a club long term. You invest in the football development of athletes."