NATHANIEL Clyne is set to become the first major departure from Saints this summer, with the defender poised to join Liverpool in a £12.5m deal.

A fee was agreed for the right-back yesterday, with Saints reluctantly opting to sell, after it became clear that he did not plan to sign the bumper new contract they had offered him.

Clyne will shortly complete his move to Anfield, where he is expected to sign a five-year contract.

The player, who has been away in America, still needs to undergo a medical, and it may be a few days yet before the deal is announced.

Saints have already selected his replacement, with the capture of Portugal international Cedric Soares, from Sporting Lisbon, in a £3.5m switch.

It is understood that Clyne's departure will not necessarily force the club back into the market for another right-back, although they will remain open to the possibility.

Saints had hoped to keep the England international at St Mary's, and had been in negotiations with him for months about a new contract, with his current deal having just one year left to run.

However, Clyne stalled on committing, as he waited to assess his options elsewhere.

Manchester United were interested at one stage, but a bid from them never materialised and, in the end, it was Liverpool who came forward.

Initially, the Reds offered a deal worth up to £10m, which was rejected by Saints, who were holding out for nearer to £15m.

However, once it was clear that Clyne was not going to extend his stay, they opted to accept Liverpool's latest bid, which is believed to be £10.5m, with a possible further £2m on top of that.

Once completed, the move will take Liverpool's outlay on Saints players to about £60m over the last year.

The Reds signed Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren last summer, for a combined potential total of about £50m.

Clyne - not to mention Liverpool - will certainly be hoping that his move to Anfield goes better than the three who preceded him, with Lovren and Lambert enduring particularly disappointing first seasons on Merseyside, while Lallana experienced a mixed campaign.

With Clyne's exit all but agreed, the futures of Morgan Schneiderlin and Toby Alderweireld are the two biggest remaining concerns at St Mary's.

While Schneiderlin is keen to join a Champions League club, his hefty price tag - he will likely cost well in excess of £20m - could prove troublesome to his hopes of gaining a move.

Saints remain in contact with Atletico Madrid over a possible deal for Alderweireld, but face stiff competition for him, with Tottenham likely the other main contenders.