Harry Redknapp has admitted he will reluctantly consider selling James Beattie if he needs to fund new signings.

The Saints boss, pictured right, is targeting up to five new additions to his squad next month but they are pretty much all free transfers or loan deals.

The indications are that he doesn't have much hard cash to spend and would have to generate extra income for any paid-for deals through sales - and Beattie and Antti Niemi are the most sellable assets.

Redknapp has ruled out the sale of Niemi but when asked if Beattie could leave to fund a spending spree to keep Saints in the league, he said: "I'd be lying if I said that wasn't an option.

"You want to keep your better players if you can but if that's the only way to do it then you've got to do it.

"Sometimes you have to do that.

"In an ideal world I'd like to keep Beattie and build a few around him but sometimes you have to do that to get three or four in.

"I really want to keep him if I can manage to get some other players in on loan.

"I need him to play but if I've got to buy a couple of players and I've got no money I might have to do something like that.

"If it means getting three or four in for the sake of selling one and getting a better all-round team it might have to be done."

Everton and Aston Villa are understood to be leading the chase for Beattie when the transfer window reopens next month, and he could generate as much as £7.5m if he were to be sold.

"I've not had a long chat with him but he's been as good as gold," said Redknapp of Beattie.

"He's got a contract here and he knows if we don't want to sell him we won't sell him.

"I was looking to keep him until the end of the season ideally."

Niemi's agent, Richard Cody, has been quoted as saying there is "real interest" from Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle in trying to prise the Finnish international away from St Mary's.

But Redknapp insists selling his star keeper is not an option.

He said: "We couldn't let him go. It's impossible.

"He can't leave here in January. It's not possible.

"In an ideal world you want to keep Beattie until the end of the season at least.

"If he wants to go then then you can look at it but first and foremost we've got to make sure we stay up."

Redknapp also laughed off suggestions he could move for Newcastle pair Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer.