Southampton ready to battle it out with Aston Villa for £5.5m Reims defender Ghislain Konan as Ralph Hasenhuttl looks to replace outgoing Ryan Bertrand this summer
- Southampton are looking at Ghislain Konan in their bid to replace Ryan Bertrand
- The Ivory Coast left-back has been a mainstay in the Stade de Reims defence
- He has made 35 league appearances, scoring twice and providing one assist
- The Ligue 1 club would be looking for a fee in the region of €6million (£5.1m)
- Aston Villa are also understood to be monitoring the 25-year-old’s situation
Southampton are looking at Ghislain Konan in their bid to replace the departing Ryan Bertrand.
The Ivory Coast left-back has been a mainstay in the Stade de Reims defence this season, making 35 league appearances, scoring twice and providing one assist.
Sportsmail understands the Ligue 1 club would be looking for a fee in the region of €6million (£5.1m). Aston Villa are also understood to be monitoring the 25-year-old, who is thought to be open to a Premier League move.
Southampton are looking at signing Ghislain Konan (right) from Stade de Reims this summer
The defender has just one year left on his contract at Stade Auguste-Delaune having moved to France from Portuguese outfit Vitoria Guimaraes in 2018.
Southampton have a void to fill on the left-hand side of their defence after Bertrand announced he would not be renewing his contract at St Mary’s.
They are eager to sign to defender as a replacement for departing Ryan Bertrand (above)
Konan has made 35 league appearances, scoring twice and providing one assist this season
In an open letter to fans last week, he wrote: ‘This has been a difficult decision for me, but the time has come to for me to seek a new challenge and find a new home that allows me the freedom to play and to maximise my contribution to the team.’
The 31-year-old, who has made more than 250 appearances for the Saints since initially joining on loan in 2014, will leave on a free this summer, with Arsenal recently stepping up their interest.
Manchester City, Leicester City and AC Milan have also been linked with Bertrand, who has 19 England caps.