Chelsea Transfer News: Ryan Bertrand Linked Amid Liverpool Talk, Latest Rumours
Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand has reportedly told team-mates he is ready to leave the club, with Chelsea and Liverpool both interested in his services, per John Cross of the Mirror.
The 27-year-old, who won the Champions League as a Chelsea player in 2012, would most likely be used as a left wing-back by manager Antonio Conte should he return to Stamford Bridge.
Bertrand has enjoyed another excellent season at Southampton, who may feel the need to cash in on the England international if he pushes for a move. The Saints have a long history of selling their most valuable players—Sadio Mane and Victor Wanyama were the two high-profile departures last summer—and so a move to one of England's top six clubs is certainly on the cards.
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Signed initially on loan from Chelsea in 2014 before being purchased outright shortly after, Bertrand could now be set for a homecoming, having come through the west London club's youth system. With both David Luiz and Nemanja Matic rejoining the club over the past few years, it wouldn't be the first time the Blues have re-signed one of their former players.
However, they could face stiff competition from Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp may be looking to sign a left-back given that James Milner is currently playing out of position, and Liverpool have a strong relationship with Southampton. Mane, Dejan Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana have all joined from Saints in the last three years.
Chelsea are also reportedly in the hunt for Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata, per Javier Silles for AS, and would be willing to part with around £60 million to land his signature, per Tuttomercatoweb (h/t the Daily Star's Alex Harris). Morata has struggled to break into the first team ahead of Karim Benzema and is likely to leave this summer.
To help fund the move, Chelsea are reportedly ready to sell Diego Costa to Tianjin Quanjian, who have already agreed a deal worth €90 million (£76.2 million), per Cadena Ser (h/t Jack Rathborn for ESPN FC).
Another player who could be on the move is Brazilian winger Willian. Manchester United want to bring the hard-working playmaker to Old Trafford and have already "made enquiries" after it emerged Conte does not see him as a "major part" of his plans for 2017-18, per Tony Banks of the Express.
Bertrand, then, isn't one of the more high-profile players to be linked with a move in or out of Stamford Bridge this summer, but nevertheless he would be a smart acquisition. Southampton might not be able to hold on to Bertrand for much longer.
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