With the likes of captain Virgil van Dijk, Cedric Soares, Ryan Bertrand and Dusan Tadic already being linked with moves away from Southampton this summer, it could prove to be another busy transfer window on the south coast.

While there may be a number of departures – as has become the norm for Saints fans to deal with in recent years – one player that they should look to bring to the club is Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Despite making just eight appearances in all competitions for the Blues this term, the 21-year-old was the star for the England U-21 side as they thrashed fellow EURO 2017 finalists Denmark 4-0 in a friendly on Monday night.

The midfielder – playing in a more advanced role than where he usually has throughout his career to date – scored twice in an impressive all-round performance for the Young Lions.

Here are THREE reasons Southampton should sign the Chelsea midfielder this summer…

Partner for Romeu

Despite starting the season with a diamond set-up in midfield, Saints manager Claude Puel has recently reverted to the 4-2-3-1 formation that has been so successful for the club in recent seasons.

It has meant that Steven Davis has slotted in alongside Oriol Romeu in central midfield, but the Northern Ireland international has looked far from comfortable there.

With the likes of Jordy Clasie, Harrison Reed and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also looking to be out of favour, it is a position that Puel may look to strengthen in the summer – he could do a lot worse than sign the energetic box-to-box Chelsea player.

Knows Young Lions team-mates

While it can take some time to settle into a new club sometimes – especially after spending your career with one team – it wouldn’t be too much of a problem for Loftus-Cheek if he did make the move to St Mary’s.

The 21-year-old will know the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Nathan Redmond and Matt Targett well from his time with the England U-21 side, and will already be accustomed to their style of play.

With the World Cup just over a year away and Ward-Prowse and Redmond receiving their first senior caps last week following some impressive performances for the Saints, Loftus-Cheek will know that a big season on the south coast could see him make the plane to Russia.

Fits into club’s transfer philosophy

As they did when they signed the likes of Romeu from Chelsea and Hojbjerg from Bayern Munich, Southampton like to give opportunities to players that have potential, but perhaps haven’t had the opportunities they might have deserved at the big clubs.

Loftus-Cheek certainly fits into that category, and having made just eight appearances for the Blues this season, he could be available for a reasonable transfer fee, too, if he decides that he need to leave Stamford Bridge in search of regular first team football.