According to The Mirror's live transfer blog (January 3, 3:14am), Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama isn't interested in a potential loan move to Championship club West Bromwich Albion, but would be keen to join a Premier League club in the south, which could open the door for a Southampton return.

What's the word, then?

Well, it appears as though Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is keen to offload the Kenya international this month as he looks to raise some funds by offloading some of his fringe players, with the Baggies reportedly keen to bring him to the Hawthorns to boost their promotion push.

It is certainly no surprise that the 27-year-old would prefer to stay in the top flight however, and the fact that he would prefer to stay in the south certainly narrows his options down given London neighbours Arsenal and Chelsea are unlikely to be realistic destinations.

Wanyama has fallen behind the likes of Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko in the pecking order this season having suffered injury issues, playing just 146 minutes of Premier League football across four appearances – the last of which came against Crystal Palace in November before he suffered a knee problem which has kept him sidelined since.

Southampton return on the cards?

As we mentioned previously, if Wanyama wants to stay in the south with a Premier League club then his realistic options are Southampton, West Ham United, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Watford, Brighton & Hove Albion or Bournemouth.

While that might be a considerable number of clubs, Saints would surely be near the top of the queue if they were interested given the player already knows them well having played for them prior to his move to Tottenham, as well as the fact they may well need some more defensive stability in the coming months in their battle against relegation.

Oriol Romeu has excelled in the defensive midfield role in recent weeks under Ralph Hasenhuttl, but the Austrian doesn’t have another similar player to call upon, and Wanyama would certainly fit the bill and add some much-needed strength and protection in front of the backline.

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