Puel hoping to finalise Caceres deal this week

Southampton boss Claude Puel is eager to conclude a deal for Martin Caceres and see what "quality and spirit" the player can bring to the squad.

Caceres, a free agent, is understood to be waiting for a work permit to be granted before he can finalise a contract with the Premier League club.

Puel hopes to see a positive outcome this week and believes the former Barcelona and Juventus defender would provide a significant boost to the squad.

"For the moment it is difficult for me to comment on this because he has not signed for Southampton," he told a news conference ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Sunderland.

"In the next few days we see if he can bring something for the squad and if he signs. For the moment it is just speculation and we don't know.

"He is an international player and his quality and his spirit can be interesting.

"For the moment the priority is that he can sign for Southampton. For the moment it's not the reality."