Chelsea remain in hunt for Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand?

Chelsea have reportedly not given up hope of signing Ryan Bertrand from Southampton.

On Tuesday, it was claimed that Manchester City were closing in on the left-back, who allegedly wants to leave St Mary's in the summer.

However, according to The Mirror, Blues boss Antonio Conte remains keen on securing a Stamford Bridge return for the England international.

Bertrand began his career at Chelsea but despite starting in their victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in 2012, he was generally regarded as a backup at the West Londoners and only went on to make 57 appearances for the club.

Nevertheless, Conte is eager to strengthen his squad with players who can feature at wing-back, and the 27-year-old would provide competition for Marcos Alonso.

Liverpool have also been credited with an interest, but there will be a reluctance from Southampton to sell to the Merseyside giants due to the ongoing conflict between the clubs regarding the potential transfer of Virgil van Dijk.