Southampton remain confident that Ryan Bertrand will commit his long-term future to the club by signing a new contract despite reports emerging over Arsenal’s interest in the 31-year-old, according to The Athletic.
The Saints face a difficult situation with the contracts of both Bertrand and Danny Ings running down and have been keen to enter talks with both players to try and extend their deals. That comes despite some financial difficulties emerging in the club’s recently-released financial report.
It has been reported by Goal.com that Arsenal are weighing up a potential move for Bertrand this month, with the Gunners looking to bring in some cover for Kieran Tierney after they allowed Sead Kolasinac to join Schalke 04 on loan for the rest of the season. The report added that Southampton are unwilling to break their pay structure to hand the 31-year-old a new deal.
However, The Athletic‘s report suggests that the Saints are confident they can strike some form of a deal with the defender and ensure that he commits his future to the club by signing a new contract. Given he has just six months remaining on his current £70,000-a-week deal at St Mary’s, they will need to make sure that his future is resolved swiftly.
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This is an encouraging update and suggests that the Saints should be able to tie down Bertrand to a new contract. That would certainly be the right decision with the club’s finances so stretched, which would make finding a potential long-term replacement for him challenging in the transfer market.
The 31-year-old still has plenty left to offer and his form this season has been very impressive, averaging 1.3 clearances and 2.2 tackles per game as well as a passing accuracy of 80% in the Premier League (Sofascore). He has improved from last season in all three metrics, which suggests there is little sign of him slowing down or regressing.
One thing Southampton can guarantee him is regular game-time, with Arsenal viewing him more as a backup option. The left-back will likely want to feature consistently and the Saints could represent the best chance for him to keep doing so over the next few years.
