Southampton are now set for a scouting mission to assess Celtic forward Daizen Maeda, according to reports from Scotland.

The Lowdown: Southampton targeting forwards

With the Saints currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, sitting three points from safety, Nathan Jones has identified the need for some new attacking options at St Mary's.

The manager has already completed the signing of winger Mislav Orsic, who joined in an £8m deal on Friday, and the south coast club are also said to be leading the race to sign Middlesbrough striker Chuba Akpom.

The Latest: Maeda scouting mission

According to a report from Football Scotland, Southampton have a shortlist of players that they are monitoring in Scotland, and club scouts are set to travel north in order to watch Maeda in the Scottish League Cup semi-final for Celtic against Kilmarnock next Saturday.

The scouting team is set to watch a number of different matches over the coming days, but the Japanese attacker is particularly high on their list of priorities.

The Verdict: Get it done?

The 25-year-old is capable of playing both on the left and in a central role in attack, making him a versatile option for Jones. He boasts a solid goal record in his club career so far, scoring 67 times in 236 games, including 14 in 49 appearances for Celtic.

At the World Cup, the Japan international's talent was on show against eventual bronze medalists Croatia, scoring the opening goal of their round-of-16 clash before his team went out in cruel fashion, losing after a penalty shoot-out.

Following that match, Maeda was the subject of praise from Rio Ferdinand, who described him as an 'absolute livewire'.

He seems like exactly the sort of player that the Saints need if they want to start crafting more opportunities, given that they didn't register a single shot on target in their midweek defeat against Nottingham Forest.