According to reports in ESPN FC, Southampton are close to appointing former Alaves boss Mauricio Pellegrino as Claude Puel’s successor at St Mary’s.

The south coast outfit decided to sack the Frenchman earlier this month despite the fact that he secured an eighth-place finish in the Premier League and reached the final of the League Cup final, with supporters unimpressed by his style of football and 17 goals in 19 home league games.

It means that Saints are looking for their third new manager in three years and they are said to believe that Pellegrino is one of the best options available to them right now as he could stay at the club for a number of years, rather than moving on like Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman have in recent seasons.

If the Argentine does take the reins at St Mary’s, he could look to use his knowledge of La Liga and target players that he feels could make an impact in the Premier League.

Here are five La Liga stars Pellegrino could look to sign this summer if he is appointed as Southampton’s new manager…

Inaki Williams

Able to play on either wing or as a centre-forward, Athletic Bilbao attacker Williams looks to have all of the ingredients to be a success in the Premier League.

The Spain Under-21 international – who is currently away at the European Under-21 Championships with Spain – scored eight goals and provided a further eight assists in 49 appearances in all competitions for the La Liga outfit last season, which was down on the 13 he netted in just 37 outings in the 2015/16 campaign.

The 23-year-old wouldn’t come cheap as he is highly-rated and has four years left on his contract, but if Saints want to be a consistent top six Premier League side then Williams is the calibre of player they must be targeting.

Willian Jose

If Pellegrino is appointed as Saints boss and wants a centre-forward who can hold the ball up and find the net on a regular basis, he may take a closer look at Willian Jose.

The 25-year-old quickly became a key player in the Real Sociedad side that finished sixth in La Liga last season, scoring 14 and providing a further four assists in 34 appearances in all competitions.

With four years left on his contract he again wouldn’t be too cheap, but he looks to have all of the attributes to be a big hit in the Premier League.

Aaron Martin

With Ryan Bertrand being heavily linked with a move to Manchester City this summer, Pellegrino could be looking for a new left-back if he is appointed as the new Southampton boss.

One player he will know well from his year in La Liga is Espanyol defender Aaron Martin, who only signed a new long-term deal in January.

However, the 20-year-old’s consistent performances at left-back will not have gone unnoticed and after making 35 appearances in all competitions last season, the interest in him from a number of Spanish clubs and teams from abroad could ramp up this summer.

Marcos Llorente

Pellegrino signed the Real Madrid defensive midfielder on a season-long loan for Alaves last summer, and he went on to become a key player in the team that finished ninth in La Liga and reached the final of the Copa Del Rey.

The 22-year-old, who is currently playing for the Spain Under-21 side at the European Championships in Poland, only has a year left on his contract at the Bernabeu and could be looking to make a permanent move elsewhere this summer.

If Pellegrino takes the reins at St Mary’s and is looking for a midfielder with a bit of energy and who likes to take people on to partner Oriol Romeu in the middle of the park, he could make another swoop for Llorente.

Jorge Mere

With the future of captain Virgil van Dijk still in doubt and with Saints releasing Martin Caceres this summer following the expiry of his short-term deal, Pellegrino may need to find a new centre-back if he is appointed as the south coast outfit’s new manager.

One player that he may be keen on is 20-year-old Sporting Gijon defender Mere, who is also currently away with his national team at the European Under-21 Championships.

Despite his tenders years, the Spaniard was once again a key player for Sporting last term and he made 32 appearances in all competitions, completing 124 clearances and showing his ability on the ball by being successful with 16 of the 19 take-ons he attempted.

Would you like any of these, Saints fans? Let us know below.