MANAGER Russell Martin was unable to guarantee that Saints will turn the phones off to late bids for Kyle Walker-Peters - however unlikely they are.

The boss claimed he expects the 27 year old to remain a Saints player beyond Friday's transfer deadline day, despite initially accepting he would leave.

Saints have not received a satisfactory offer for his transfer and Martin insists interest in star man Walker-Peters has died down. 

Walker-Peters has played both of Southampton's opening Premier League fixtures and looks poised to remain at St Mary's for the final year of his deal. 

Saints rejected a late bid for an unnamed player last summer due to the proximity to the deadline but Martin refused to guarantee that again.

Martin responded to the Daily Echo: "I don't know. That's out of my hands. I think we signed Yuki (Sugawara), we have James Bree so I don't know. 

"That will not be my decision. I'll have an opinion on it, of course. If Kyle really wants to go at that point and the ownership group decides it's enough money...

"Then yeah, it will be what it will be. However, right now I can't envisage that happening - but things change quickly in football."

Earlier in the press conference, Martin said: "I think he's going to be here. I think all the interest and the deals that might have happened have pretty much gone.

"That is unless someone decides really late that they want Kyle. We've offered him a new contract so when the window's shut maybe that will be another discussion."

Saints offered Walker-Peters a new deal this summer, along with Jan Bednarek, with the defensive duo out of contract in June 2025.

Walker-Peters has spent more than four years at Saints, making his 169th appearance for the club in Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.