Saints begin the final sprint in their chase for a £6m cash bonus this weekend.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side travel to Swansea on Saturday knowing a win at the Liberty Stadium would draw them level on points with the Capital One Cup holders.

Anyone who says this is an end of season clash with both sides having nothing to play, though, is not looking at the eye watering figures on offer.

With Saints just three points shy of ninth placed Swansea, a rallying end to the season could easily see them overhaul the Welsh side.

Not only would it be a noteworthy achievement, it would also mean an end of season prize money payment of a cool £9m.

However, if Saints ease off the gas and cruise through to the end of the campaign, there is the danger they could slip down the league.

Though few people realistically think they are in any danger whatsoever of them going down, they are four points off of fourth bottom.

The payment for finishing in that position is just over £3m – meaning that Saints are playing for as much of that extra £6m as they can get.

Even with the riches that come with Premier League status, and amongst all the talk of receiving more than £70m for appearing in the top flight next season due to the new TV deal, that is still a lot of cash.