Chelsea to reignite interest in Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu?

Chelsea are reportedly interested in securing a summer deal for Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu.

At the turn of the year, the Blues moved to secure the signing of Monaco's Benoit Badiashile, a centre-back who can be deployed on the left-hand side of a defensive three.

As it stands, the France international has lived up to his reputation, slotting in seamlessly in a system recently used by Graham Potter.

With Chelsea possessing a wide array of talent in defence and Marc Cucurella also capable of deputising there when required, the West Londoners appear well stocked for options.

However, according to Football Insider, the West Londoners are considering whether to make a fresh move for Salisu.

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The report claims that Chelsea tried and failed with a bid for the Ghana international at the midway point of the campaign, talks said to have collapsed between the relevant parties.

Nevertheless, it appears that Chelsea may look to capitalise on the 23-year-old's situation at St Mary's at the end of the season.

At a time when the South Coast outfit are struggling to remain in the Premier League, Salisu has just over 15 months remaining on his contract.

Regardless of whether Southampton retain the top-flight status, it would come as a surprise if Salisu opted to extend his stay with the Saints.

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Salisu has played a total of 80 times for Southampton in all competitions, including 22 times in the Premier League during the 2022-23 campaign.

As well as being a regular for Southampton, Salisu made three appearances for Ghana at the 2022 World Cup, playing the full 90 minutes in each outing.

Salisu, who can also be used at left-back, is also said to be attracting interest from a Newcastle United side that are pushing for a return to European footballl.

The report adds that Manchester United, Aston Villa and Leicester City are also keen to hold discussions with Salisu's representatives over the coming months.