Liverpool and Chelsea lining up move for Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand

Premier League giants Liverpool and Chelsea are on alert as Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand is ready to leave the club this summer, according to The Daily Mirror.

The 27-year-old has resurrected his career since first a loan move in 2014 and then a permanent one to St Mary’s a year later, playing 103 times for the Saints and helping them to two top half finishes in the Premier League, and likely another one this term.

However, the England international looks set to join a line of Southampton players who have moved on to bigger things in recent years, with he reportedly having told his teammates that he expects to leave the South Coast this summer.

And two clubs reportedly looking to take advantage are Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, with the latter of course being where Bertrand began his career, featuring surprisingly in their Champions League final success back in 2012.

It looks like Conte is hoping to bolster his squad ahead of their return to Europe’s elite competition next season, while Klopp has been relying on James Milner to fill in at left-back this summer after recurrent poor displays from natural full-back Alberto Moreno.

The Spaniard clearly doesn’t have a future at Anfield under Klopp, so a move for Bertrand makes complete sense given he has been one of the most accomplished left-backs in the league in recent seasons, and at 27 should be entering his peak years.

Yet, Chelsea will have something to say about any potential deal for the left-back as it becomes increasingly likely that Bertrand will leave St Mary’s this summer.