Chelsea and Manchester United chasing Premier League full-back

Southampton booked their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday courtesy of a shock 2-0 victory over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City. 

The Saints currently sit bottom of the league table, but they are now a step closer to reaching a Wembley final after goals from Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo set up a semi-final against Newcastle United.

City boss Pep Guardiola opted to name both Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland among the substitutes for their visit to St. Mary’s, but both players were introduced with the visitors trailing by two goals.

Despite their involvements, Saints held on thanks to an impressive defensive display.

Now, though, it appears that the south coast club could face a battle to keep hold of one of their defenders.

According to TalkSPORT, both Chelsea and Manchester United are interested in full-back Kyle Walker-Peters.

The Englishman has impressed since joining Southampton from Tottenham Hotspur back in 2020, but it appears that his strong performances haven’t gone unnoticed.

The report claims that the player himself has been stalling on signing a new contract as he looks for a move away from the club.

Walker-Peters helped Southampton to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday

The right-back’s current contract is set to run until 2025, but Walker-Peters has shown no signs of wanting to extend his stay.

With that in mind, The Red Devils are believed to be considering a move for the defender as a replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who looks increasingly likely to depart the club in the coming months.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are yet to find a player to deputise for first choice right-back Reece James, who is currently out of action with yet another injury lay-off.

The England international missed the World Cup due to a knee injury, and limped off shortly after half-time during his first game back against Bournemouth last month.

Veteran defender Cesar Azpilicueta has been used in place of James, but the Spaniard has largely failed to impress and The Blues are looking to add a right-back to provide cover.

It is also claimed that Spurs, who Walker-Peters departed in 2020, are also interested in the player who has made 99 appearances for Saints since his move.