Transfer News: Manchester United, Tottenham monitoring Ryan Bertrand

Ryan Bertrand has been reportedly tipped to leave Southampton in the summer in a £25 million deal, with Manchester United and Tottenham scrambling for his signature.

According to The Sun, Ryan Bertrand is set to bid adieu to St. Mary’s before the start of the 2018-19 campaign, regardless of whether Southampton manage to avoid the drop. The former Chelsea man has thus, alerted the likes of Tottenham, Manchester United, Everton and Newcastle, who are all looking to add the cultured defender tu o their respective squads.

Ryan Bertrand’s career had failed to take flight at Chelsea and after a barrage of loan spells, the player opted to move permanently to Southampton. St. Mary’s oversaw Bertrand’s rise as the defender blossomed into one of the best full-backs in the Premier League striking a wonderful partnership with Cedric Soares guarding the other flank.

With 140 appearances under his belt for Southampton, the 28-year-old is rightly regarded as one of the better full-backs in the Premier League. Southampton are in real danger of being relegated to the Championship and Bertrand would not want to play second-tier football for a year or two at this crucial juncture of his career.

But, according to the report, Ryan Bertrand will call it quits even if Southampton survive. And he has a few interesting projects to choose from, with Manchester United, Tottenham, Newcastle and Everton all keen on the left-back.

At Manchester United, Luke Shaw’s signing has become a rather sad story, with the former Southampton man likely to exit the club in the summer. Danny Rose is being eyed by Jose Mourinho. But, the report iterates that if Tottenham are reluctant to part ways with Rose, the Red Devils will shift their focus to Ryan Bertrand, who will be available for around £25 million.

Tottenham, on the other hand, fear losing Danny Rose in the summer. And if the Englishman does depart, they have earmarked Ryan Bertrand as the man to replace his compatriot.

Other clubs like Newcastle and Everton could also stand in good stead in pursuit of the Southampton man. Everton will be looking to replace an ageing Leighton Baines and Bertrand should be guaranteed a starting spot at Goodison Park. Newcastle do have Massadio Haidara and Paul Dummett at left-back.

But, the Magpies are also looking to pounce on the opportunity of adding a left-back with as much Premier League experience as Ryan Bertrand in the summer.

Bertrand could wish for a move to either Manchester United or Tottenham, perhaps to return to the big leagues, especially with Champions League football set to be on offer at both the clubs, unlike Newcastle or Everton. £25 million is more than fair for a player of Bertrand’s experience in the Premier League.

Manchester United and Tottenham’s overtures will depend on what transpires over the summer, with both clubs interested in each other’s full-backs – Luke Shaw and Danny Rose. If a deal is not done between the two clubs for the players, we might just see them move for Bertrand in the summer.