New Southampton manager Mark Hughes is reportedly lining up a summer move for Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen.

Even though the Welshman only signed a contract until the end of the season when he replaced Mauricio Pellegrino last week, it seems as though he is already putting plans in place for next term if the club stay in the Premier League and if his stay at St Mary's is extended.

Both situations are certainly still up in the air despite the fact the 54-year-old led the club to the semi-finals of the FA Cup in his first match in charge, with the club slipping into the top flight relegation zone following Crystal Palace's win against Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

The south coast outfit now lie two points from safety and one above 19th-placed Stoke, for whom Allen has been a key performer since he signed for the Potters from Liverpool in 2016.

Hughes was the man that brought the Welshman to the Britannia Stadium, while he also sealed a season-long loan deal for Chelsea centre-back Kurt Zouma, rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, last summer.

The Frenchman has been able to play regularly for the Staffordshire-based club after his first-team appearances were limited at Stamford Bridge following a long spell on the sidelines because of injury, and he may well be available either on loan or permanently this summer.

Here are three reasons Southampton must forget Allen and sign the 23-year-old instead…

If Southampton do survive and keep their Premier League spot this season, there would certainly be a big argument against them needing to sign the 28-year-old Allen for the following campaign.

The south coast outfit already have plenty of options in the middle of the park with the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oriol Romeu, Steven Davis, Mario Lemina and James Ward-Prowse – as well as Harrison Reed when he comes back from his loan spell with Norwich City – and it would be difficult to find a spot for the Wales international.

While he could play a bit further forward in a 4-2-3-1 system, Saints fans will perhaps be hoping for a more fruitful central attacking midfielder than one that has two goals and six assists in 29 Premier League appearances for Stoke this season.

While Wesley Hoedt and Jack Stephens have stepped up well as the first-choice central defensive partnership in recent months and are both good with the ball at their feet, they do often struggle from a physical point of view and winning aerial duels, with Saints fans wanting the former to be dropped after the loss to Liverpool last month.

While both looked far more comfortable playing alongside the dominant Virgil van Dijk before he departed for Liverpool in January, it hasn't been the same when they have been deployed together and you get the feeling that it will be an area that Hughes will target for improvement should be stay on at St Mary's.

Considering he brought him to Stoke last summer, the 54-year-old will know all about Zouma and the qualities he brings – one of which is his strength and aerial ability.

Chelsea sent the Frenchman out on a season-long loan deal last summer when he was finding first-team opportunities hard to come by as he looked to get back to his best following a serious knee injury, and he could easily find that he is surplus to requirements this summer.

With Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta all set to be at the club next season – and Gary Cahill and David Luiz potentially too – the Blues have plenty of options there, including youngster Ethan Ampadu, while they have also been heavily linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur's Toby Alderweireld, too.

Zouma may well find himself down the pecking order on his return to Stamford Bridge, and a permanent move away could be on the cards if he is to play regularly, with Hughes sure to be interested.

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