Chelsea are reportedly plotting a double raid on Southampton for their full-back stars Cedric Soares and former Blues player Ryan Bertrand
According to London Evening Standard, Chelsea’s failure to land Danilo and Benjamin Mendy – both players opted to join Manchester City – have now seen them shift their attention to the Premier League to scour for additions to the squad, with the club eyeing a move for Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand.
Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand have proven to be a formidable pair, with assuring and consistent displays on either side of the defence. While Soares joined the Saints a year after Bertrand, both the players have seen their stocks skyrocket after their arrival at St. Mary’s.
After missing out on Danilo, Chelsea have turned their attention to signing Southampton duo Ryan Bertrand & Cédric Soares.#CFC #Mendy #Conte pic.twitter.com/i11sUbYsYT
— Majumder Abhijit (@Maj_Abhijit32) July 24, 2017
Despite missing some matches through minor injuries, Soares featured in 30 Premier League games last season and further added to his burgeoning reputation as a reliable right-back.
Bertrand, on the other hand, continued from where he had left off the 2015-16 campaign and impressed everyone with his performances on the left side of the defence for the Saints as they made it to the final of the EFL One Cup, only losing narrowly to Manchester United.
Soares has been linked with the biggest of clubs in world football, with the likes of Barcelona and Juventus eyeing a move for the Portuguese international. Ryan Bertrand, too, have been attracting the likes of top clubs, albeit more from England.
The former Chelsea man has been linked with Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. And, it seems the Blues’ failure in their pursuit of other targets have lead them to reignite interest in the 27-year-old, along with eyeing a move for his partner-in-crime on the other side of the defence.
Chelsea have Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses as the only options on the left and right side of the wing-back positions respectively. And, the Blues have been trying incessantly to add to their options on either side. However, the pursuits have failed to yield much results.
Standard | #Chelsea eyeing Southampton duo Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares after Danilo completes Manchester City transfer. #CFC pic.twitter.com/cnIK2DLwIo
— The Blues (@TheBlues___) July 23, 2017
Bertrand could relish the opportunity to rejoin his former club and prove his quality to the club, the coaches and the fans at Stamford Bridge. Cedric Soares on the other hand, could also jump at the opportunity of joining a top club like Chelsea, where he can fight for top honours – both domestic and otherwise.
However, with the saga surrounding Virgil Van Dijk, it would be interesting to see whether Southampton are willing to part with their full-backs.
