Southampton officially unveiled Russell Martin as their new first-team head coach last month to replace Ruben Selles following their relegation to the Championship.
The Saints are yet to make their first signing of the summer transfer window but have moved on from a number of players; including Mislav Orsic, Theo Walcott, and Mohamed Elyounoussi.
This means that the Scottish manager has lost three options in the wide areas ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, which could open the door for him to add another option in that position before the deadline.
The Athletic recently reported that the club are interested in signing Manchester City winger Carlos Borges, although they face competition from teams in both the Premier League and Bundesliga, which could make a deal difficult to get over the line.
How good is Carlos Borges?
He is yet to make his first-team debut but his incredible form at youth level for the Cityzens suggests that the potential is there for him to be the dream heir to Elyounoussi's position on the left wing for Southampton.
Borges has played against professional opposition in the EFL Trophy for City's U21 side and caught the eye with an average Sofascore rating of 7.7, with four goals and one assist, across three outings last season.
The 19-year-old wizard also enjoyed a terrific Premier League 2 campaign. He racked up an exceptional 21 goals and 11 assists in 24 appearances, which came after the exciting youngster managed 11 strikes in seven U18 Premier League games during the previous season.
In total, the Portuguese youth international has scored 55 goals and assisted 42 in 79 appearances for City's academy, which works out at an average of a goal contribution every 0.81 matches.
These statistics suggest that the Saints target, who was once lauded as "phenomenal" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has the quality to burst onto the scene at senior level if given a chance in the Championship next term.
There is no guarantee that he will be able to translate his form over to first-team football but his outstanding return in front of goal from the left wing for City's U21 and U18 teams suggests that it is a gamble worth taking for Martin.
Borges could be the dream replacement for Elyounoussi after the Norway international struggled to find his best form at the top end of the pitch prior to his departure.
The 28-year-old dud was unable to provide attacking quality on a regular basis in spite of being a regular starter throughout the campaign. He started 27 of his 33 Premier League appearances last season and contributed with one goal to go along with one assist.
Southampton's decision to release him at the end of last month may have been an easy one after his disappointing performances, with his average Sofascore rating of 6.64 placing him 20th in the squad.
Borges could now come in and potentially offer a huge threat as both a scorer and creator of goals in a way that Elyounoussi was unable to, if the 5 foot 7 teen can make the step up and replicate his form at youth level.