Saints are expecting a quiet close to the transfer window, but remain prepared to move quickly if a last minute opportunity presents itself.

There has been reserved satisfaction at the club over the way it got so much business done early in the window.

Angus Gunn, Jannik Vestergaard, Stuart Armstrong and Moi Elyounoussi have all arrived for a combined total of around £51m. Dusan Tadic has been the only significant sale with his £15m move to Ajax.

That is likely to be all of the business complete, but with the transfer window closing at 5pm today Saints remain on stand-by to act if they need to.

With the club in a position where they will need to sell before they make a significant purchase, another signing would very much depend on the actions of other clubs.

Mark Hughes has already said he is ready to go with what he’s got ahead of the Premier League opener against Burnley at St Mary’s on Sunday.

The Daily Echo understands that Saints do not want to sell a frontline player this late in the window, so it would take an offer too good to refuse to make that happen, the chances of which are extremely slim.

Watford have been linked with a late swoop for James Ward-Prowse, but there has not yet been any contact made.

If Saints had good offers for a few fringe players with the combined sales generating enough cash to fund a meaningful attacking addition then that remains a slim possibility, but given the depth of the squad to add another signing who could make a big impact would almost certainly require a club record deal.

At this stage that does not appear to be in the offing, but if Saints could find a buyer for Fraser Forster then that would help.

The 30-year-old keeper is looking for another club having slipped to third choice at Saints, but a loan deal is more likely.

Saints are believed to be prepared to fund part of his wages if a suitable opportunity presents itself.

Hughes has already committed to keeping some of the younger players who are on the fringes of the first team squad at St Mary’s rather than loaning them out, at least until January.

Though the Premier League window slams shut today, the European leagues can still sign players until the end of the month.

However, Saints have already indicated they will not be looking to do further business once today has passed.