Southampton have reportedly been scouting Bristol City goalkeeper Daniel Bentley recently and if he were to join the Saints, he could become their next Kelvin Davis.

According to the Bristol Post, Southampton have had scouts in attendance at recent fixtures at Ashton Gate and have been keeping an eye on Bentley, as well as Antoine Semenyo, Tyreeq Bakinson and Han-Noah Massengo.

The former Southend United man has established himself as one of the top 'keepers in the Championship during his time with Brentford and Bristol City and is currently valued at £3.6 million, which ranks him as the third-most valuable shot-stopper in the second tier, behind just David Raya and on-loan Newcastle United man Freddie Woodman.

If he were to make the move to St Mary's this summer, he would presumably compete with Fraser Forster and Alex McCarthy for the number one spot in Ralph Hasenhuttl's squad and if he could establish himself as first-choice, then he could enjoy a lengthy spell with the Saints.

There are definitely similarities between the deal that saw Southampton sign Davis from Sunderland in 2006 and any potential deal for Bentley.

The shot-stopper was brought in for around £1 million from Sunderland just a year after joining the Black Cats from Ipswich Town and would end up finishing his career on the South Coast, retiring in 2016 after 10 years with the club.

During that time, he would make 298 appearances for the club and was a crucial part of the side that won back-to-back promotions in League One and the Championship in 2011 and 2012.

Considering Bentley is just 27-years-old, there is no reason why he couldn't also spend a decade with the Saints in a similar manner to Davis, and go on to become a legend with the club, albeit in the Premier League rather than the lower leagues.

Like Davis, Bentley would be joining from a Championship side and would likely arrive for a relatively low fee, so if he does make the switch to St Mary's this summer, there seems no reason why he can't emulate the Southampton legend.

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