SAINTS are hoping to beat off competition from two Premier League clubs to sign defender Alexander Buttner.

The 23-year-old left back, who plays in the Dutch league for Vitesse Arnhem, is reportedly a target for Fulham and QPR.

Buttner, who has a year left on his current contract, has already held talks with the London sides, after his club allowed him to visit England, and was supposedly meeting Saints officials last Friday.

He is also attracting interest from German club Werder Bremen. But it is St Mary's that appears to be his first choice.

"I want to go to Southampton," he is quoted as saying in the Dutch media today. "I have to wait for both clubs to reach an agreement, but I count on the co-operation of Vitesse."

"It would be a massive disappointment if this didn't go through.

"I have been to Southampton and everything - including the living conditions - is perfect."

Buttner, who played as a winger before being converted to a left back, was named in the Netherlands' provisional list of 36 players for the Euro 2012 tournament, one of nine uncapped players to be chosen by manager Bert van Marwijk.

He didn’t make the final squad, though.

Danny Fox made Saints’ left back role has own last season, but Nigel Adkins is searching for more competition.

Dan Harding and Ryan Dickson can both play left back, but the latter is totally out of favour and didn’t play a single league game last season.

Harding, a regular when Saints won promotion from League 1 in 2010/11, was restricted to just 12 Championship starts last season plus eight off the bench.

Adkins has only made one summer signing so far – breaking Saints’ transfer record to bring in Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez for a fee around the £7m mark.

• This is just one of the many rumours that have made the Saints Transfer Rumour Round-Up, which is updated daily to provide fans with a one-stop shop with all the transfer gossip involving Saints.