Manchester City are reportedly on the brink of securing a move for Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand
According to Sky Sports, Manchester City have edged closer in the race to secure the signing of Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand in the summer. Since leaving Chelsea, the Englishman has grown from strength to strength to become one of the top full-backs in the country.
In fact, the defender was linked with a move back to Stamford Bridge a month and a half ago as manager Antonio Conte was looking for an understudy to Marcos Alonso. The Blues will be challenging in the Champions League next season, and need to add to their strength in depth.
Fellow Premier League giants Liverpool were also looking to sign the defender as midfielder James Milner deputised as a left-back for the entire 2016/17 campaign due to Alberto Moreno’s frailties in that position.
However, it now looks like City are ahead of the chasing pack as they have prioritised signing the Southampton left-back ahead of AS Monaco’s Benjamin Mendy, to whom they have been heavily linked of late.
It is understood that the Ligue 1 champions value Mendy at £40 million and that seems to have put off Pep Guardiola and co. at the Etihad Stadium, and they will now look to sign Bertrand from the Saints this summer.
Guardiola inherited an ageing side last summer, and after working with them for a season, he decided to release all the players he deemed unfit to don a Manchester City jersey. Former Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy was one of them.
Despite having Clichy and Aleksander Kolarov available for selection, the City boss often deployed Fernandinho out of position to play as a left-back, while Kolarov operated in a central defensive role.
Signing Bertrand could see the left-back dilemma at City come to an end as the Saints defender is one of the Premier League’s finest in that position and could thrive in a side full of creative players.
The player is expected to accept the offer that comes from the Manchester outfit as they are to double his wages of £55,000/week should he move to the Etihad. He will be guaranteed a regular starting berth and will also feature in the UEFA Champions League.
Sky Sports have further gone on to state that Bertrand is not the only English full-back who is expected to move to Manchester City within the next fortnight as Tottenham’s Kyle Walker is also reportedly on his way to the Etihad Stadium.
The right-back has been heavily linked with a move away from White Hart Lane due to his strained relationships with Mauricio Pochettino, and could be joining forces with Guardiola within the next few weeks.