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"I just need him to help the club stay up, that's the priority," commented Redknapp.
"He's got a contract here with 18 months to go so there shouldn't be a problem.
"You can't get rid of your best players because that's a recipe for going down.
"You've got to hang on to them. We want to keep Beattie here because he can score goals.
"I've not had a chance to speak to him yet but he's under contract anyway so it's not like he can walk away.
"In an ideal world I'd like to keep Beattie and build a few around him," said Redknapp.
"If I manage to get some players in on loans, I need him to stay.
"But finance is going to be tight. If I have got to buy a couple of players I might have to sell him.
"If it means getting three or four players in for the sake of selling one to make you a better all-round team, that's the way to go.
"We don't want to sell him. He is a good lad and he has a contract here.
"We want to keep him to the end of the season - but we need three or four players."
Southampton look set to sell England striker James Beattie following his substitution 16 minutes from time in the goalless draw with Charlton.
Saints new assistant manager Jim Smith, who joined ex-Portsmouth partner Harry Redknapp at St Mary's last week, said: "We want to keep James as long as we can.
"He's a little bit short of match sharpness but you would have to speak to the chairman about the fact that possibly selling someone would give us the ammunition to bring in the three, four or five quality players we require.
"That might have to be the avenue we unfortunately have to go down," added Smith.
Newcastle manager Graeme Souness has been linked with a transfer-window move for the Saints striker.
Sportinglife
Graeme Souness has hinted that he is not interested in bringing Southampton striker James Beattie to Newcastle United.
Beattie has been sporadically linked with a switch to St James' Park with the rumours having started during Sir Bobby Robson's reign on Tyneside.
The England international has been mooted as a long-term replacement for Magpies captain Alan Shearer, who is due to retire at the end of the season.
The future of Beattie at Southampton has been increasingly uncertain, with the burly forward suggesting he is ready to quit St Mary's.
Aston Villa failed with a bid for the former Blackburn man in the summer, while Newcastle have purportedly been waiting in the wings with a bid.
Sportinglife
"I have no idea where that came from," said Souness.
"There will be speculation, in Tyneside there is a story and a rumour every day.
"We are hoping to do things when the window opens and hopefully it is more than just one player.
"We are after good players and clubs will not want to sell their good players easily.
"We have been linked with several other people but we are not going to broadcast what we are attempting to do.
"We are attempting to improve our squad and have offers on the table for several players but we will see what pans out in January."
"To be honest there have been a couple of clubs interested," Redknapp told Sky Sports 1.
"I've spoken to James and it looks as though something might happen.
"The only way we will be able to strengthen in the window will be to do so business now and get some money in for James.
"In an ideal world you'd like to keep him and add three of four to him, but its not an ideal world so we might have to do some business to bring in the money to buy three or four to strengthen the team as a whole.
"I'd love to keep him because he's a top goalscorer and we'll miss him."