Chelsea in talks to re-sign defender from Southampton

Chelsea are undergoing a huge rebuild this summer as they prepare for the new season with Mauricio Pochettino at the helm.

Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League last season – their lowest league finish in three decades – and the former Tottenham Hotspur boss will be keen to improve his side.

Therefore, owner Todd Boehly has been very busy in this transfer window as he attempts to fine tune the squad.

Matteo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kante and Kai Havertz have departed Stamford Bridge so far, but more outgoings look likely.

The Blues are also set to sell key player Mason Mount to Manchester United for around £60m, with the England international expected to complete a move to Old Trafford imminently.

However, the West Londoners have brought Cristopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson to SW6 so far in this window.

Now it seems the Blues are ready to bolster their defence ahead of the new season, and they could move for a former player.

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are in talks with Southampton to re-sign former defender Tino Livramento.

Livramento could make a shock return to Chelsea

The report claims the Blues have been talking with the Saints over a potential deal for the young defender, which would include loaning him back to the South Coast.

Valentino “Tino” Livramento, 20, signed for Southampton from Chelsea back in 2021 for a fee of around £5m.

The England under-21 international had a bright start to his tenure in Hampshire, putting in several impressive performances at right-back.

However, the Englishman suffered a major setback in April 2022 when he ruptured his ACL, an injury that sidelined him for several months.

Fortunately, the defender has recovered from the injury and started to feature again in the Saints’ squad towards the end of last season, although he was unable to prevent their relegation.

Southampton have reportedly rejected two bids worth around £21m from Newcastle United so far for Livramento, as they value the defender at more than £30m.

It is believed that Chelsea inserted a £40m buy-back clause when they sold the defender to Southampton, but a fee of around £38m would be enough to secure a deal.