Manchester City are reportedly preparing a £25 million offer for Southampton and England left-back Ryan Bertrand
According to a report in Daily Mail, the Citizens have now turned their attention to the Englishman after losing out on Dani Alves and are now going to push forward and launch a bid for Bertrand, as Guardiola continues his hunt for fullbacks this summer.
City are in the midst of a squad overhaul and as a result, we have seen a number of departures from the club. Fullbacks Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta have all been shown the exit door, but Guardiola is yet to sign a replacement for any of them.
Aleksandar Kolarov is the only recognized fullback at Guardiola’s disposal and while the Citizen’s have spent huge amounts of money on attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva and goalkeeper Ederson, the haven’t been made any significant progress with regard to fullbacks.
They were said to be leading to race for Dani Alves, but the Brazilian eventually moved to Paris Saint-Germain in a surprise last-minute move. Tottenham Hotspur are said to be demanding £50 million for Kyle Walker, but the Citizens seem unwilling to match that figure.
City will hope that their pursuit of Bertrand is a far less taxing one, but Southampton certainly won’t let him go without a fight. The Saints have had a relatively quiet transfer window as compared to recent seasons with regard to departures and they will certainly look to keep it that way.
Bertrand, since moving from Chelsea in the summer of 2014, has grown to become one of the best fullbacks in the Premier League and also a regular for his national team. This summer, he has been linked with moves to Liverpool and Chelsea, but City seem to have the most concrete interest.
Bertrand would no doubt prove to be a fine acquisition for Guardiola and for only £25 million, it could prove to be a huge bargain in such an inflated market. Having spent his entire career in England and currently in the peak years of his career, Bertrand too would likely relish the prospect of making a step up in his career.
The UEFA Champions League & FA Cup in 2012 and the UEFA Europa League the following year with Chelsea remain the only trophies in his cabinet and would be the correct time to move to a team that competes for major European honours and the League on a regular basis.
