George North’s agent has confirmed Saints have made an approach for the player - and a deal could be done within the next couple of weeks.
The Wales wing, who helped his country defeat England to win the Six Nations on Saturday, has one year left on his Scarlets deal.
But the club are understood to be willing to let North leave in a bid to stop him exiting for nothing next summer.
Saints boss Jim Mallinder told a recent fans’ forum that the player he would most like to sign was a ‘big,strong winger’.
And 6ft 4in North would certainly fit the bill, having bulldozed his way to 12 tries in 31 Test appearances.
The 20-year-old’s agent Christian Abt has revealed talks are taking place between Saints and Scarlets and says the process is unlikely to drag on too much longer.
“There has been an approach between the two clubs to discuss a possible transfer,” Abt told the BBC.
And he added: “I don’t think it will drag on too long.
“I think these things need to happen quite quickly if it’s going to happen so that each party knows where they stand.
“It’s counter-productive to sort of drag on and for the player as well to know where he will be, so ideally I’m sure it will resolve itself in the next couple of weeks.”
Saints have already raided Wales for one key signing, with Ospreys scrum-half Kahn Fotuali’i moving to Franklin’s Gardens this summer.
And Abt admits the Welsh sides are struggling to hold onto their key assets.
“Unfortunately it’s been well documented it’s been difficult time for some of the Welsh regions financially,” he said.
“They are looking at ways to find to work within a business model which makes financial sense for themselves to go forward and be sustainable in this current market.
“George is under contract for another year at the Scarlets and as far as I’m aware there’s ongoing discussions between [Scarlets] and possibly a few other parties... with regards to a possibility of George moving on from the summer.
“There has been interest from [other] Premiership outfits as well as French clubs expressing an interest in to when he might be out of contract.
“It’s not something that we’ve really actively pursued, it’s very much a case of understanding where he is in terms of the situation in Wales and trying to ensure that whatever happens in going forward is in his best interest in order to progress his career.”