Journalist Dean Jones claims Southampton has been working to 'identify the best candidate' in the forward position before the January window closes.

The Lowdown: Saints make Sulemana bid

A report coming out of Ghana has claimed that Nathan Jones' side has submitted a bid for Kamaldeen Sulemana of Rennes.

In addition, the French side is apparently 'tempted' to accept the offer made by the Premier League team, the fee is said to be around £17 million.

Sulemana tends to operate on the left wing, but the Ghanaian can also play on the right side and as a centre-forward if need be.

The Latest: A striker will come

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones tipped the Saints to get a new striker in before the window slams shut at the end of the month.

He said, “Manchester United signing Wout Weghorst, that’s really the sort of player that Southampton might have been looking at in a window like this if it was potentially available.

“You see other clubs throwing pretty big money players that seem reasonably risky. I know the list has been drawn up for Saints. They’ve been working through it to identify the best candidate, and I’m pretty sure that they will sign somebody.”

The Verdict: Proven striker needed ASAP

We believe that Southampton have a potential bright spark in the form of Sekou Mara, but they need to bring in an already-established striker into their ranks.

Earlier in the season, pundit Micah Richards was in awe of Mara's assist against Brentford in a 2-2 draw. Speaking on Match Of The Day (via The Daily Echo), he described the Frenchman's assist as 'ridiculous'.

Mara is only 20-years-old and still has room to improve and develop. Che Adams and Adam Armstrong have proven to be immense goal-scorers in the Championship, but have never cut it consistently at Premier League level.

This is why we think that Jones needs to bring in an established forward into his sqaud, as not only would Mara potentially thrive learning off a more experienced striker, but Adams and Armstrong are both under the age of 27 and could benefit under the tutelage of a wise attacker.

Should Southampton stick with what they have upfront then it could be a total disaster for them, as they have the joint-fourth worst attack statistically in the league and currently sit bottom of the league.