Cape Town - Southampton captain Jose Fonte admits he'd love to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain return to the club amid speculation that the winger may be looking to leave Arsenal.
The England international was said to be keen on a loan move in January after failing to establish himself as a first-team regular under Arsene Wenger but the move was blocked as he was assured of a more prominent first-team role.
As the end of the campaign looms, the 22-year-old still remains on the fringes of Wenger's squad and is firmly behind the pecking order for a place in Roy Hodgson's party for Euro 2016.
Fonte admits he spoke to the Saints' academy graduate about a possible return to St Mary's - five years after leaving them for the Gunners in a £15m transfer - but also claims he still has the potential to make a huge impact for his current club.
"I know Chambo from Southampton," he told Just Football. "I know how good he is. And I am not going to lie: we talked about it.
"I asked him, I spoke to him, I'm good friends with him. I want the best for him but what can I say? He's an Arsenal player.
"He's happy there. He has the quality to be a star play at Arsenal, no doubt about it. But what I mean is we would love to have him back.
"If we want to put out a team to fight for trophies, to fight in European competition, why not?"