According to reports from The Express yesterday evening, England right-back Nathaniel Clyne is set to reject the chance to join Chelsea or Manchester United this summer in favour of extending his contract at Southampton.
That’s according to Saints Director of Football Les Reed, who insists contract talks with the 23 year-old are going well.
Clyne has been in sensational form this season, averaging the fifth-most tackles per-match of any Premier League player as part of a Southampton defence boasting the second-healthiest goals conceded record in the division.
Chelsea and Manchester United are both keen to improve their home-grown quotas on the cheap this summer by signing the Three Lions starlet, who is on the verge of entering the final year of his Southampton contract – as This Is Futbol revealed last month.
But news broke yesterday of Clyne entering negotiations over extended terms with the south coast outfit – as reported by us at This Is Futbol – and Reed has now described discussions as ‘very positive’.
“I’m in discussions with his agent and that has been very positive,” said the one-time Charlton Athletic manager.
“Nathaniel has made statements that he’s happy here. There’s bound to be speculation because he’s such a good player and has had such a good season.
“We have to balance that against what he can do for us in the future and what we can do for him.
“We’re at a very good place at the moment in terms of the discussions going on and I’m confident that we will have a resolution to that sooner rather than later,” he added.