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Man City to Battle Chelsea for Ryan Bertrand Signing Following Long-Term Mendy Injury Woes

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Pep Guardiola reportedly wants to bring in Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand in January, according to The Sun.

The Manchester City boss is thought to want Ryan Bertrand as back up for the injury plagued Benjamin Mendy.

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City wanted to lure the 29-year-old left back to the Etihad in the summer, but instead opted fro Monaco's Benjamin Mendy. However their most recent left-back signing has been hit with a long term knee injury, such that Guardiola now feels he needs cover in that areas to boost his title hopes.

Bertrand is rated at around £30m, with City expected to make a move as soon as January, with Guardiola demanding more defenders for his squad:

"We will see if we can add players in January. The problem we have is the Mendy injury,” said Guardiola.

Fabian Delph has done a fine job so far by filling in for Mendy in the last few games, while Kyle Walker or Danilo could switch flanks, however Guardiola wants to utilize the clubs massive funds and bring in a quality player comfortable in that position.

Bertrand has a contract at St Mary’s until 2021, but a £30m plus bid may be too much for the club to turn down.

However Bertrand's former club Chelsea are also thought to be monitoring the England international after their less than impressive start to the title defending campaign.

Antonio Conte has even been linked with a full blown raid on Southampton this January with Portugal right-back Cedric Soares and central-defender Virgil van Dijk also in his sights.

Pellegrino certainly expects more bids for Liverpool target van Dijk, while Barcelona have also reportedly sent scouts to track the player in recent weeks, as a result the Southampton boss could look to rebuild in the upcoming January window.