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Saints Linked With Left Back !

Saints are said to be looking to target the purchase of a left back in the summer transfer window as rumours abound of a big money move for Ryan Bertrand.

It is being reported in Spain that Saints are considering a bid for Real Betis left back Riza Durmisi. Although it sounds like he is an Eastern European he was born in Denmark of Albanian descent and has so far won 15 caps for that country at full International level.

Durmisi signed for Real Betis last summer for 2 million Euros and penned a five year contract with a buy out clause worth ten times that, although it is likely that Betis will accept perhaps half of that.

He was linked with a move to Liverpool back in January but they do not seem interested in pursuing the move in this window.

Able to play as a conventional left back, wing back or even as a winger, he seems just the sort of player that Saints would be attracted to due to his versatility.

The big question though is why Saints would be interested in a left back with three already at the club ?

The answer would be that Ryan Bertrand might be sold this summer, Bertrand was an ally of Jose Fonte in the dressing room before his departure to West Ham and was one of the players rumoured to have fallen out with Claude Puel, turning 28 on the eve of the coming season he knows that he spent too long at Chelsea as a fringe player and various loans before joining Saints three years ago.

The move to St Mary's saw his career take off and now he is in demand with both Manchester City and former club Chelsea linked, he knows that this is perhaps his last chance of a truly big move, in a years time he will be a little too old for a long term big contract.

For their part Saints could be tempted with a bid of somewhere north of £20 million, but clearly feel that neither Matt Targett of Sam McQueen are the answer at the moment.

Targett is highly rated at St Mary's but injuries and issues that Ronald Koeman had with him have meant he hasn't pushed on as much as the club would have hoped in the past couple of seasons, but he is seen as a long term option.

Sam McQueen was converted to full back last year and initially had a series of decent games in that spot, but there is a feeling that this was more of a flash in the pan than an indication that in the long term he would be the answer in this spot, he started only 5 games in the Premier League with another 8 as sub, but was used infrequently after Xmas.

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