Southampton: Clubs lining up for Ryan Bertrand

With relegation looking more and more realistic by the week, a host of Premier League clubs have been linked with Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand.

Regardless of form or ability, Bertrand is arguably the biggest name in the Saints squad – he’s perhaps the last player in the team who could genuinely take the step up to play for a top-six team.

According to various reports the 28-year-old is wanted by a host of clubs, including the likes of both Manchester United and even Newcastle.

Despite Southampton’s inconsistent form, the left-back has consistently been named in the England squad – he won’t want to play in the Championship as it would almost certainly affect his chances of getting into future squads.

Bertrand has also been linked with Spurs with Danny Rose’s future still unclear – whatever happens the Saints will reportedly expect at least £25 million for his signature in today’s market.

Southampton fans have been bracing themselves for Bertrand’s departure even before relegation was a possibility – he’s been regularly linked with top-six sides for much of the past two seasons.

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• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
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The left-back has – despite being captain on several occasions – looked relatively uninterested this campaign. This may stem from how heavily he was linked with Manchester City before they eventually signed Benjamin Mendy.

Bertrand’s potential departure has an air of Jose Fonte’s saga about it however – long-serving and disinterested player looking to move on, media spinning stories of a big move, etc.

Whilst the 28-year-old is arguably better than the Portuguese man now playing in China, it wouldn’t be a surprising turn if the likes of Newcastle or even an Everton instead ending up being the ex-Chelsea man’s next team.

Whilst we don’t know what goes on in the background, several teams have been reportedly keen on Bertrand over the years but have consistently made formal approaches for different targets instead.

However, if Saints are relegated then the picture is totally different.