Southampton have been linked with a sensational move for a former star.
The Saints are hoping to secure an instant return to the Premier League this season, but will have to do so via the play-offs after consecutive defeats.
The most recent of those two losses was a 5-0 thrashing by league leaders Leicester City.
Russell Martin has his work cut out to help his players put such a damaging defeat behind them and focus on the task at hand for the final two games of the campaign.
Southampton fans will be under no illusions that their play-off fate will have a huge impact on the business they are able to do this summer.
Failure to secure promotion will likely see a number of key players head out the exit door, with a potentially lesser calibre of player coming in to replace them.
However, Southampton have now been linked with a huge transfer.
Southampton eye shock move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Reports in Turkey have emerged which suggest that the Saints are weighing up a move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The 30-year-old is currently at Turkish giants Besiktas but is rumoured to fancy a move back to England.
Oxlade-Chamberlain joined his current side for free last summer following the expiration of his Liverpool contract but has struggled with injuries since making the move.
According to Turkish outlet Sabah, Southampton are interested in a move for the player who came through their famous academy and was sold to Arsenal for £10 million as a 17-year-old in 2011.
This would represent a pretty incredible move given the winger-turned-midfielder is still only 30 and has won both the Premier League and Champions League in the last five years.
No potential fee has been touted at this stage, with the England international’s Besiktas contract running until summer 2026.
Any move would also likely be contingent on Southampton playing in the Premier League next season, but the sentimental value makes this an intriguing situation.
Matt Le Tissier rates Oxlade-Chamberlain highly
A lot has happened since Oxlade-Chamberlain left Southampton as a teenager.
At the time of the move, the youngster had just helped the Saints secure promotion from League One and was making the huge jump from the third tier to the Champions League.
In his first and only full season at Southampton, Oxlade-Chamberlain played a remarkable 41 games in all competitions, scoring ten goals and providing nine assists according to Transfermarkt.
Whilst this latest development is an exciting one, there is risk associated with a return.
Firstly, injuries are not new to the man with 35 England caps. In fact, Oxlade-Chamberlain has only played 30 league games in just one of the past five seasons.
This season, the midfielder has started just nine games in the Turkish top flight.
When he is fit, though, he has quality in abundance.
In those nine league games this season, Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored four goals and registered one assists whilst playing all across the midfield.
Whether he is worth the risk is something Southampton must weigh up, with wages not likely to be cheap either.
One player who knows all about what it takes to be a success at the Saints is Matt Le Tissier; Southampton’s record Premier League goalscorer who spent his entire career at the club.
Le Tissier spoke of how he rates Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2016 when the then 22-year-old was struggling to get in the Arsenal side.
Le Tissier said: “He’s a very good player. He’s obviously suffered with injuries in the last couple of seasons so he’s not really been a regular in that Arsenal side.”
With a legend’s seal of approval, albeit eight years ago, could an emotional return be on the cards?
