Saints are set to cut their losses on Dani Osvaldo and Gaston Ramirez this summer.

Osvaldo is the club’s record signing at £12.8m, breaking the mark set by Ramirez at £12m.

Both men were signed under Nicola Cortese’s leadership of the club, but both have proved to be expensive failures at St Mary’s.

With Osvaldo it has been indiscretions which have marred his time, while Ramirez has just struggled to adapt to the English game.

Saints have found temporary solutions to the problem of what to do with them by farming them out on loan.

However, Ramirez has now returned from a season at relegated Hull, where he again struggled to make a significant impact, while more worrying for Saints is the prospect of Osvaldo returning with his loan at Boca Juniors ending just before the start of pre-season.

Saints will have to take a substantial hit on what they paid for the pair if they are to get them off the books, but any money coming in will only boost the cash available to Ronald Koeman, as well as moving on two of the club’s highest wage earners.

Osvaldo is the biggest headache for Saints because they are unlikely to want him anywhere near the club if they can help it.

The fiery Italian striker joined in August 2013 for an initial £12.8m, and was reported in Italy to be given wages of more than £50,000 a week.

After a patchy opening to his time at the club on the field, he was sent out to Juventus on loan in January 2015 after headbutting teammate Jose Fonte at the club’s training ground.

Juventus chose not to take up an option to sign him at the end of the 2013/14 season, leaving Saints again trying to move him on.

Inter Milan agreed to take him on loan but his time there came to a sticky end thanks to a falling out with a teammate and then manager Roberto Mancini.

Boca Juniors in Argentina then stepped up. Osvaldo has continued to court controversy off the pitch in the papers out there for his private life and his loan spell comes to an end as the league takes a midseason break for the Copa America after next weekend.

Osvaldo has scored seven goals in 13 matches with Boca who have expressed an intent in signing him permanently but have said financial issues could prevent it.

Osvaldo still has half of his four year deal left to run.

Ramirez has not been problematic for Saints but has failed to really contribute significantly since joining in 2012.

He has just one year left on his deal, meaning it would be a cut price sale if he were to go. If Saints weren’t to sell, didn’t offer him a new deal and instead loan him out again, they would get nothing for him in a year’s time, meaning a huge loss.

At the time of his signing Italian media reported Ramirez was being paid around £70,000 a week by Saints.

After a first two seasons where he could only muster 27 starts and 23 appearances from the bench for Saints, he went to Hull, but only played 22 times as the Tigers were relegated.