Southampton would be interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga on loan, according to Sky Sports' Lyall Thomas.

Tanganga made his big breakthrough at Spurs last season and arguably profited more than anybody from the appointment of Jose Mourinho towards the end of 2019. 

However, the 21-year-old has only featured in cup competitions so far this term, and Thomas reported this morning that the Hackney-born youngster will find out today whether he'll be allowed to leave on loan. 

We've already covered Celtic's interest in the versatile defender - who Transfermarkt value at £7.2m - but it appears they could be rivalled by the south coast outfit should Spurs decide that Tanganga can indeed complete a loan move before 11pm tonight.

That still leaves one unnamed Premier League suitor in the race to land Tanganga, who is quickly emerging as a player of real interest ahead of the transfer deadline. 

GIVEMESPORT's Christy Malyan says...

A pretty wise deadline day addition as far as Southampton are concerned.

Their squad simply requires more depth for the remainder of the season and while Tanganga isn't the most experienced of players, in his short career he's already played in both full-back positions and at centre-half.

He should be able to offer cover in a number of positions for Ralph Hasenhuttl then, and although moving to a new club is always a learning curve for young players, Tanganga will surely benefit from the fact Southampton is only a drive down the motorway away from London. 

Hasenhuttl also employs an energetic style of football that should naturally engage young players, so this move seems like a good one for all involved.