Southampton are edging closer to signing free agent defender Martin Caceres, with Crystal Palace having dropped their pursuit, per theDaily Mail.
The report in the Mail states that the player will go through a thorough medical on Monday before signing for the Saints.
Caceres had a trial at Palace last week, but Sam Allardyce decided against signing him, leaving Claude Puel free to take the Uruguayan on board. AC Milan were also reported to have held discussions with the defender; nothing materialised on that front either.
With Southampton losing Jose Fonte to West Ham last month, as well as losing star centre-back Virgil van Dijk to injury, they are in need of defensive cover, and will hope that the signing of Caceres can do a lot to soften the blow.
Van Dijk injured his ankle late last month in a match against Premier League champions Leicester City. Last week, Puel revealed that the Dutchman could be out for the next three months, and will definitely miss the EFL Cup final against Manchester United on February 26.
Puel watched his side give up a 1-0 advantage to lose 3-1 against West Ham on Saturday, and has vowed to address the team's defensive issues.
In attack, though, they have made a good signing inManolo Gabbiadini, who scored a debut goal for the club.
"All of the goals you can correct," the French boss said toSky Sportsafter the match.
"We lacked concentration about this situation so it's important to correct and find a clean sheet for the next game. That will bring confidence.
"We know we have a good solutions in attack and now with Gabbiadini we can do fantastic results and play.
"But it's important to correct our concentration about free-kicks and defensive mistakes. This is an obligation."