Southampton have benefitted in the past by buying young talents from Manchester City, securing the signing of Romeo Lavia from the Etihad fringes in 2022 and turning into him a player worth £58m within a season of playing regular football at St Mary's.
In the current squad assembled by Russell Martin, Gavin Bazunu and Shea Charles were previously also on the books at the current Premier League champions, whilst Taylor Harwood-Bellis remains as an up-and-coming talent for Pep Guardiola to ponder over whilst he gains invaluable first-team experience away from the club on the South Coast.
Charles has performed well for his new employers since making the £15m switch from the Etihad this summer, the 20-year-old starring last match in Southampton's 1-0 home win over Bristol City – winning 80% of his duels in the contest, as per Sofascore, helping his side preserve a valuable clean sheet in a closely fought match.
The Saints could well explore the possibility of swooping in for even more Man City talents this January to replicate the success of the Charles deal, putting the clearly harmonious working relationship between the two clubs to further good use in order to bolster the team in the crunch months to follow in the second tier.
Here are three City stars that could follow Charles in through the door at St Mary's…
1 Will Dickson
If Martin opts to add more numbers to his Southampton squad in the upcoming transfer window in attack, the Saints manager should look no further than Will Dickson who has been consistently a prolific striker for City at every youth level he's played in so far.
The 19-year-old has managed to score 33 goals from 72 appearances progressing through the age brackets at the top-flight champions, now featuring regularly under Brian Barry-Murphy in attack as an integral component to his Elite Development Squad.
Dickson is yet to get a flavour for senior men's football however, but could well be ready for the step-up now if the Saints swooped in for him in January.
The teenage sensation has even trained with the main senior squad at Man City, closely paying attention to Erling Haaland's dedication to his craft according to an interview with the Manchester Evening News – "Even when I've trained with them a couple of times to watch how Haaland works and watch how dedicated he is – any player can learn from him."
With rumours continuing to circulate that Che Adams could be off in January from St Mary's, alongside the fact Ross Stewart is yet to get firing as a reserve striker option at Southampton, Martin could look to sign Dickson on a loan deal this January to see what he's made of.
2 Micah Hamilton
Martin could also look towards another member of City's highly-regarded EDS squad in January, Micah Hamilton tipped for big things at the Etihad.
Southampton could also do with reinforcements down the channels, adding in a fresh face to compete with Newcastle United loanee Ryan Fraser and ex-City man Samuel Edozie.
Hamilton has notched up an impressive six assists from ten games this season in the EDS side, adept at playing in the number ten role if needed also.
The 20-year-old's blistering form for the EDS squad didn't go unnoticed by Guardiola, the Catalan coach naming the midfielder on the bench in the Champions League when the treble winners travelled to BSC Young Boys.
Hamilton's dream will be to one day star in the men's team, but in the here and now to further his progression, a loan move to the cut and thrust of the Championship would be a worthwhile switch for the skilful midfielder.
3 Tomas Galvez
The final potential addition Martin could make to his squad this January from Man City could be Tomas Galvez, Southampton in desperate need of new recruits at left-back with Ryan Manning and James Bree the only available players for that role currently at the club.
Galvez this season in Barry-Murphy's EDS squad has shone from left-back, even picking up an assist for his efforts versus Chelsea U21's in Premier League 2 action.
Signed by City after bursting onto the scene with Watford U18 – Galvez full of energy and drive on the pitch for the Hornets, constantly looking to advance his team forward – the 18-year-old would slot seamlessly into the Saints' backline if signed.
Martin's preferred way of playing sees his team play out from the back patiently before bursting into life, Galvez perfect for this style of play as an expansive wing-back option if he were to arrive through the door.
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