Liverpool are in the hunt to sign Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand despite the reportedly imminent arrival of Andrew Robertson, according to the Sunday Times.
The newspaper claim that the Merseyside giants “covet” England international Bertrand even though he is “aggressively priced” by his club Southampton.
The Sunday Times report that Manchester City are also in the race for the 27-year-old even though they are also attempting to secure a deal for Monaco’s Benjamin Mendy.
Liverpool’s interest in Bertrand comes 24 hours after the Liverpool Echo claimed they are are closing in on the signing of Hull City defender Robertson for a fee of £8million.
It is said that Hull want left winger Kent, 20, to go the other way and smooth the path for Robertson, 23, to become a Liverpool player, although the transfer is not dependent on it.
Bertrand is the latest Southampton player wanted by Liverpool, who are also keen to sign his defensive teammate Virgil van Dijk despite publicly claiming they are no longer pursuing the Dutchman.
The Merseysiders have also raided St Mary’s Stadium to sign Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne and Rickie Lambert in recent seasons.
Manager Jurgen Klopp tasked midfielder James Milner with the senior left-back last season and he did a sound job as the team finished fourth in the Premier League.
But Liverpool are looking for long-term options on the left side of the defence and former Dundee United player Robertson will reportedly slot in to that position after three years at Hull.
Intriguingly, he could be faced with competition from Bertrand, who has accumulated 14 England caps and developed into one of the Premier League’s finest left-backs since leaving Chelsea in the summer of 2015.
Known for his pace and raids bombing forward down the left flank, the 27-year-old is contracted to the Saints until the summer of 2021.