Report: Portsmouth’s south coast rivals Southampton have verbal agreement in place with Luton boss Nathan Jones following Ralph Hassenhuttl's sacking

That’s according to The Athletic, who claim Saints have ‘verbally agreed a deal’ for the Welshman to succeed the sacked Ralph Hassenhuttl.

The breakthrough comes after Saints were granted permission to speak to Jones this morning – just hours after parting company with the Austrian.

It was initially believed that the 49-year-old would wait until after the Hatters’ Championship game with Stoke before entering talks.

However, it seems that Southampton are a lot further down the line with finding a replacement for Hassenhuttl.

Jones has guided the Hatters to eighth in the Championship table, where they are currently two points adrift of the play-off places with a game in hand.

Hassenhuttl was relieved of his St Mary’s duties following Sunday’s 4-1 Premier League defeat to Newcastle.

The result saw Saints drop into the relegation zone, with the 55-year-old later insisting his future was out of his hands.

His departure brings to an end a near four-year spell with the club, which included two 9-0 thrashings against Leicester and Manchester United.

During his maiden season, Southampton finished 16th before securing an 11th and two consecutive 15th-placed finishes.