Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger has said that he is "really, really confident" that manager Ronald Koeman will remain at the club beyond the end of this season.
The Dutchman will be heading into the final year of his contract next season and is yet to commit beyond the end of his current deal in June 2017.
There has been speculation linking him with a coaching role at former club Barcelona, but Krueger is expecting Koeman to stay at St Mary's.
"Next year? I'm really, really confident he will still be manager. Beyond that, those are the conversations we're having now and they're really good. I like where we're at. We're in a whole different place than where we were a few years ago," he told PA Sport.
"It's a much more mature time for Southampton. For me if I was manager here I would be really excited about being here and the conversations we're having seem really good.
"The way we are is we want everyone to be sure they can grow in their role at the club. That begins with our most important (person) - Ronald and his role - and as long as that matches, it's great. We feel good about that right now."
Southampton currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, just three points off Manchester United in fifth.
Barney Corkhill
