Southampton’s Cedric wanted by Chelsea

Southampton’s Cedric has been pinpointed by Antonio Conte in potential £15m bid to try and Chelsea’s defensive problems.

The defending Premier League Champions were brought back down to earth on opening in a 3-2 defeat at Burnley after trailing by three goals at half-time.

And that has led to Conte to try and swoop for Cedric, as he looks to bring in three players before deadline day, according to the multiple reports.

The Portuguese intentional, who joined from Sporting in 2015 for £4.7m, has two years left on his contract and been a mainstay in the starting line-up since his arrival.

Cedric has made 61 appearances — 54 league appearances — over two years at St Mary’s, and started on opening day for Mauricio Pellegrino.

The 25-year-old was part of the Portuguese squad that won Euro 2016 and has previously been linked to a move to the likes of Barcelona.

Southampton are already in the midst of a battle to keep want-away Virgil van Dijk at the club, and keeping both defenders would be seen as a major coup against the so-called ‘bigger clubs’.