Chelsea have shortlisted Saints star Taylor Harwood-Bellis but the Saints defender must keep in mind the centre-back competition at Chelsea if the Blues open talks with him.
Every year, there's a fresh summer transfer window but clubs often look to take a leaf out of their previous moves. Southampton too, are aiming to retrace their shrewd Taylor Harwood-Bellis decision which is indeed a less risky transfer route now.
That's great, but what about Harwood-Bellis who too is a prime favourite to swap clubs ahead of the preseason? So far, Southampton have been urged to play smarter on the transfer fee aspect but that will only come into play when they get a suitable bidder first.
On the positive side, the Saints may have just found the ideal club that can fulfill any asking price they demand. As pointed out by Saints Extra, that outfit is Chelsea who have kept the 22-year-old's option open for their summer business.
Harwood-Bellis must think twice before joining any club
To begin with, the Blues are a young side who are gradually steering their way to the pinnacle of European football. Hence, Harwood-Bellis will be more than happy to join them and potentially carve out his own Premier League legacy over the years.
Obviously, that's a difficult challenge but it would take more than just Taylor's individual quality to become a hit signing at the Stamford Bridge. If you are left puzzled, then just look at Chelsea's mammoth roster.
They have more than a handful of centre-back profiles and if Harwood-Bellis were to join, then he would have to fend off the cut-throat competition for getting playing time. The other downside lies in having a fine margin of error where a single mistake in the league or cup competitions may make him fall out of favour quickly.
Therefore, the bottom line remains that Harwood-Bellis must weigh up the pros and cons of every interested club before giving his green light to the transfer.