BOSS Eddie Howe insists Cherries will not make any panic signings ahead of the closing of the transfer window – with Andrew Surman still believed to be his number-one target.

Reports linking Surman with a return to Dean Court resurfaced over the weekend, with the Daily Echo having predicted in April that the midfielder was likely to be on Howe’s summer wish-list.

Speculation mounted after Surman had been omitted from the Norwich squad for their clash against Watford on Saturday with Canaries boss Neil Adams non-committal when asked about the player’s absence.

Surman spent last season on loan to Cherries from Norwich and was a revelation during the second half of the campaign as Howe’s men secured a 10th-placed finish.

The 27-year-old former Southampton man, whose family still live in Hampshire, has a year left on his contract at Carrow Road and would probably command a fee of around £500,000 if the Canaries were prepared to sell.

In an interview with the Echo at the end of last season, Surman said he had “really enjoyed” his stay with Cherries and added that he would consider the possibility of a permanent move to Dean Court should the situation present itself.

Howe, who never comments publicly on his transfer targets, bolstered his squad over the summer with the acquisitions of Dan Gosling, Junior Stanislas and Callum Wilson, while striker Lewis Grabban left to join Norwich after they had triggered a £3million release clause in his contract.

Asked by the Echo at his post-match press conference on Saturday whether he was keen to bring in any more players, Howe replied: “We are keen to do something. I don’t over-react to wins or losses. You try to have a plan and a long-term plan and stick to it.

“We evaluate the squad all the time and are looking at one or two additions. But, as I have said before, there are no guarantees. You only want to get the right players, ones you think potentially will make you better and strengthen your squad.

“We certainly won’t do anything we feel rushed into and will take each individual player on their own merits. We would like to but we will have to wait and see. There are a lot of things that have to fall into place, it is not just our wants.”

When asked whether he would be prepared to divulge which positions he was looking to strengthen, Howe said he would be keeping that information “under my hat”.