According to reports in Spanish publication Estadio Deportivo on Sunday, Southampton are one of the clubs keeping tabs on Real Betis left-back Riza Durmisi, who has a release clause of €20m and has been a £17m target for Premier League rivals Liverpool in the past.

New Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino will know the Dane well having managed Alaves in La Liga last season, and the 45-year-old will also know that he have to look for a new left-back this summer with Ryan Bertrand being heavily linked with a move to Manchester City.

Durmisi is of Albanian descent and has impressed enough for the Spanish outfit that he has previously been linked with Liverpool.

While the south coast outfit do have Matt Targett and Sam McQueen as back up if Bertrand does move on to pastures new, they may feel that the duo don’t have the experience to be first choice next term as the club aims to qualify for Europe.

Here are three reasons Southampton target Durmisi would be the ideal Bertrand replacement…

Dribbling and crossing ability

According to WhoScored.com, two of Durmisi’s main strengths are his ability to dribble and get crosses into the penalty area.

Those are traits that would make him a huge success if he was to make the move to Southampton because of the importance of the full-backs from an attacking point of view in the south coast outfit’s system.

The 23-year-old showed his ability to beat a man by successfully completing 25 take-ons in 27 La Liga appearances last term, and Manolo Gabbiadini would especially be keen to take advantage of the crosses into the box.

Creating chances

In 28 Premier League appearances last season, Bertrand created 27 chances for his teammates and Durmisi showed his potential in the same position by creating 46 in one fewer games for Betis.

The 23-year-old, who also takes set-pieces, ended the campaign with four assists and perhaps he should have had more having made 42 key passes.

With the likes of Manolo Gabbiadini and Charlie Austin ready to take chances at Southampton, that tally of four could easily be boosted if the Dane does move to St Mary’s.

Age/Potential

While there is no doubt that Bertrand has established himself as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League – and for England – during his time with Southampton, he will be 28 in August.

At 23 years of age, Durmisi may not be the finished article just yet but he does have huge potential to develop and go on to become a top player – something that appeals to the south coast outfit.

Saints have become famous for nurturing the talent of different left-backs in recent years – think Gareth Bale, Luke Shaw and Wayne Bridge – and the Dane may feel as though he could follow in their footsteps if he moves to St Mary’s.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.