Reports suggest Southampton are confident they will not be selling Kyle Walker-Peters to Chelsea this summer.
According to The Telegraph, the Saints have set a price tag of around £29m on the full-back, with them hoping this will be enough to scare the Blues away from a potential deal.
The club have been looking to strengthen their entire defence this season, with them looking for cover in both full-back roles.
They are also currently linked with Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries, with his physical abilities reportedly leaving Chelsea seeing him as a perfect profile for a Premier League wing-back.
However, in a search for versatility, the Blues could prefer a move for Walker-Peters, with him proving last season that he can play on both sides of defence equally well.
Chelsea make contact over Walker-Peters
According to The Telegraph, this has seen them consider making a bid for the England international, with them enquiring as to the price they will be expected to pay for him.
The 25-year-old enjoyed a breakout season at St. Mary’s last season, with the signing of former Blue Tino Livramento potentially seeing him having to fight for his place all over again.
However, he proved his worth to his manager, Ralph Hasenhuttl, who described him last season as ‘amazing’.
With the season only a couple of days from starting again, the large amount of players the club are linked with could be deemed as desperation. However, the signing of Walker-Peters would be an extremely intelligent purchase by the Blues.
With Ben Chilwell and Reece James making it difficult for anyone to join as a regular wing-back option, the purchase of Walker-Peters would provide the necessary competition for the English pair, which is especially true if Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso complete their moves to Barcelona.
With him already proving his worth in the Premier League, he would also be a safer purchase than that of Dumfries, who is yet to feature in England.
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