Southampton will decide whether to make Armando Broja's loan move from Chelsea permanent at the end of the season, according to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay.

Broja joined Saints on a temporary deal shortly before the campaign got underway, with the striker helping to fill the void left by Danny Ings' £25million departure for Aston Villa.

What's the latest news involving Broja?

Broja maintained his place in Southampton's starting line-up on Saturday but he was unable to stop the south coast club succumbing to a comfortable 3-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Although Broja could not find the back of the net in north London, he has been in fine form since making the loan move from Chelsea and scored five goals in his new surroundings.

The 20-year-old's most recent appearance on the scoresheet came against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month.

Broja's first half strike enabled him to become the highest scoring Premier League star aged 20 or under this season, while he is also the second-youngest player in the competition's history to find the back of the net in his first three home starts.

The striker's form has not gone unnoticed by Chelsea fans, with many calling for the Champions League holders' head coach Thomas Tuchel to recall Broja.

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Some of the supporters have even gone as far as to suggest Broja has performed better than Chelsea frontman Romelu Lukaku since his return to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £97.5million in August.

What has Tom Barclay said about Broja?

Barclay believes Broja could still be welcomed to Southampton on a permanent basis but reckons Saints will not make a decision until the summer transfer window opens for business.

If a long-term deal for Broja does not prove to be possible, the journalist feels manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will still look to bring a frontman to the club.

Barclay told GIVEMESPORT: "They've actually got a lot of options, which is why it is slightly baffling as to why they keep being linked with these strikers.

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"The reason for that, from what I'm told, is that Broja is obviously on loan. There is a possibility they could try and move for him.

"I don't know what Chelsea's plans are with him at the moment but there will be a gap there either to sign him permanently and that's that or, if they can't get him, to go for another striker. But that will be more in the summer, I imagine."

Why are Southampton keen on signing Broja permanently?

Hasenhuttl was a big fan of Broja before he even headed to St Mary's, with the Austrian admitting he made a move for the striker after being impressed by the Chelsea ace last season.

The 6 ft 3 man has also caught the eye of Match of the Day pundit Micah Richards who, via HampshireLive, claimed Broja was excellent as he grabbed his first Premier League goal for Saints in October.

Broja has not only performed well at Southampton, with him grabbing three goals while claiming 10 international caps for Albania

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