Saints are set to push to bring in a deadline day signing with negotiations continuing over a possible club record deal for Quincy Promes.

The club have broken their transfer record once this month, landing Guido Carrillo for £19.2m.

They are prepared to break it again to land Promes, but much depends on whether his club, Spartak Moscow, decide to sell.

Saints have been ready to pay to get the deal done, and as previously reported in the Daily Echo, it is understood that the player is keen on a switch to St Mary’s.

However, Spartak don’t want to lose their star player in January, and certainly won’t sanction a move if they can’t get a suitable replacement in.

The transfer window closes at 11pm, just after Saints have played Brighton in a crucial relegation battle.

Behind the scenes Les Reed and Ross Wilson are set for a busy day as they try and ascertain whether there are any legs left in the Promes deal.

There is confusion over the exact state of the negotiations, with Saints prepared to spend big and meet what seemed an initial valuation, but reports in Russia indicate that Spartak want a €30m buyout clause hit as well as an additional 15 per cent, that is payable direct to Promes if he moves.

That would suddenly bump a deal up towards €35m, which would be well in excess of Promes’ market valuation and would almost certainly scupper a move with Saints unlikely to want to pay so far over the odds.

Saints are still looking elsewhere and are ready to react with an expectation that there could be a few market moves and something else may crop up.

However, with the addition of Carrillo, Saints manager Mauricio Pellegrino has already indicated that he is satisfied to keep going with what he has rather than spend far too much on a player, or bring in one that won’t have the desired impact.

Saints could also loan out one or two players, with some of their youngsters coveted by Championship clubs and potentially able to get some much needed experience.

For all the talk of transfers, the main focus for Pellegrino remains on tonight’s game with Brighton, and he insists he won’t’ get distracted.

“I am not worried about that because there are people in the club working and negotiating and talking,” he said.

“I know just the conclusion and the end result of the negotiation but I am not fighting with the other or working in negotiation. It’s not my job.

“Sometimes I have to make decisions about our players to come in or go out but I am not part of the negotiation.”