Championship Watford claim have turned down two bids for wanted winger and Wolves target Tommy Smith.

Both the Premier League new-boys and Reading want the £1million-rated winger.

But manager Mick McCarthy’s pursuit of Southampton midfielder Andrew Surman could reach a swift conclusion, because of Saints’ financial crisis.

Both Wolves and Sheffield United have bid around £1million for the 22-year-old.

With the proposed takeover by the Pinnacle group having so far failed to go through, Saints now need cash urgently, after wages for staff and players were not paid for this month.

A possible solution being mooted is for the club to sell a player, but the Blades are reportedly ahead of Wolves in the chase, because they are prepared to guarantee all of the fee immediately so the wage bill can be met.

The news was greeted with silence from Molineux, as chief executive Jez Moxey continues to go about the club’s business quietly.

Surman, a creative left-footer, has established a growing reputation at St Mary’s, where he has already clocked up over 170 games after making his Football League debut on loan at Walsall in 2004/05.