Southampton boss Russell Martin has emerged on the radar of Brighton and Hove Albion, according to a report by FootballTransfers. Southampton may face a battle to keep hold of their manager in the near future amid interest from the Premier League.

Martin, 38, took over the Championship promotion hopefuls only last summer.

In this latest update regarding his situation, FootballTransfers claim he has held 'discussions' with the Seagulls over the possibility of taking over from Roberto De Zerbi, who is expected to be lured away from the AMEX Stadium this summer.

Martin is from Brighton and started his career with the East Sussex outfit so already has a connection with them.

The former centre-back, who made 29 caps for the Scotland national team during his playing days, didn't make a senior appearance for the Seagulls though.

Latest Stories He left as a youngster and went on to have spells at Wycombe Wanderers, Peterborough United, Norwich City, Walsall and MK Dons before starting his managerial career with the latter in 2019.

Martin spent two years with the Dons and guided them to promotion from League Two during his time in the dugout there.

Image courtesy of: CRAIG BROUGH/REUTERS. Swansea City then appointed him in 2021 and he won 36.6% of matches with the Welsh club before Southampton swooped for him.

The Saints turned to the ex-defender following their relegation from the top flight last term and his side are currently sat in 4th place in the table behind Leicester City, Leeds United and Ipswich Town.

If this fresh report is true, Martin is being eyed by Brighton ahead of the summer but his immediate focus will be on promotion.

You can see why the Seagulls may be attracted to him as he has a distinct style of play and likes his teams to build from the back. However, nothing has been decided yet and De Zerbi is still present at the AMEX Stadium.