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Southampton were linked with a move for Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck during the summer, and should now look to complete a deal for the Englishman when the January transfer window opens for business.
What's the word, then?
Welbeck was on the scoresheet for Arsenal in their 4-2 win over Vorskla in the Europa League on Thursday night.
However, the England international has only played 31 minutes of Premier League football for the Gunners during the early stages of the 2018-19 campaign.
Welbeck will see his Arsenal deal expire at the end of the season, and his future with the club is far from secure.
Southampton, Everton and Bournemouth were all linked with the 27-year-old during the summer transfer window.
And the Saints should make a move for the versatile attacker at the start of 2019 as he would be a huge upgrade on Shane Long.
Why should Southampton make a move?
Valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, it is unlikely that Southampton would have to break the bank to sign Welbeck when considering that Arsenal could lose him for nothing at the end of the season.
The forward scored 10 times in all competitions for the Gunners last term, and has now played more than 200 matches in the Premier League.
It would be fair to say that Welbeck has never lived up to the brilliant potential that he showed at Manchester United, but he has still developed into a very good player at this level.
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Long has recently been heavily criticised by the Southampton fans, with the Republic of Ireland international only managing 27 goals in 157 appearances for the Saints.
And there is absolutely no question that Welbeck would be a better fit for a team looking to make progress under head coach Mark Hughes.
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