Journalist Alex Crook has delivered an update on Southampton's transfer plans ahead of the summer window opening in the coming days.

What's the latest transfer news involving Southampton?

Crook has confirmed that Southampton wanted to announce a signing prior to the Euros kicking-off next Friday, but admits that this now looks unlikely.

Taking to Twitter on Thursday morning, he said of Southampton: "They were hopeful of announcing a signing before the Euros but may have to wait now. A left-back to replace Ryan Bertrand is their main target. They have looked at Junior Firpo in the past but am told he is not top of their list at this moment."

What positions do Southampton need to strengthen this summer?

As Crook mentioned, the Saints do need to bring in a left-back this summer. Ryan Bertrand is leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the month, which will leave the South Coast side without a recognised left-back.

Firpo has recently been linked with a move to Southampton from Barcelona, and it was previously reported that talks have been progressing well, but it seems that the Premier League outfit are now set to prioritise other players instead.

Southampton may also want to bring in another striker in the next transfer window, as it is understood that Manchester United are interested in signing Danny Ings this summer.

Any other worrying news for Southampton?

Indeed there is.

The club are believed to be prepared for Jannik Vestergaard to leave St Mary's in the upcoming window, with the 28-year-old only having one year left on his contract. 

Southampton only won one of the eight league games that Vestergaard missed in 2020/21, so his departure would be a tough loss for Ralph Hasenhuttl to deal with.

Could Southampton find themselves in a relegation dogfight?

The early signs are ominous.

Hasenhuttl's men lost 15 of their final 21 league matches last term, and it looked to be imperative that they got off to a strong start in the transfer window in order to turn things around.

That looks unlikely to happen, though. The club may no longer be signing Firpo, while Vestergaard and Ings could be heading for the exit door prior to next season starting.

It's easy to forget that Southampton briefly topped the table back in November, but they have been on a miserable run since then.

They do not seem to be well-positioned to arrest that slide at this stage, and if they aren't careful they could well find themselves battling for survival in 2021/22.