Former Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand is set to undergo a medical with Leicester City ahead of sealing a free transfer to the King Power Stadium.

The 31-year-old was the first-choice starter at Southampton last season but opted to walk away when his contract expired, and a handful of Premier League sides were quickly linked with moves for Bertrand.

There were a lot of rumours suggesting Arsenal were keen to win the race for his signature, but Leicester quickly emerged as leaders and David Ornstein has now confirmed that the deal is now all but done.

Bertrand has verbally agreed on a contract with Leicester and is set to undergo a medical on Thursday ahead of making the deal official.

If all goes according to plan, Bertrand will ink a two-year contract at the King Power, with Leicester also holding the option to extend it by a further season.

Bertrand has been lined up as a replacement for Christian Fuchs, whose contract with Leicester expired this summer. The 35-year-old has since penned a deal to join Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer.

At Leicester, Bertrand will compete with Luke Thomas for minutes in Brendan Rodgers‘ squad and will help cover for the lengthy absence of James Justin, who excelled in the position before a nasty knee injury forced him to the sidelines in February.

Justin is expected to remain sidelined for the early months of the 2021/22 season, but Bertrand’s arrival will help Leicester get by until then.

Bertrand managed 240 appearances for Southampton in all competitions after joining from Chelsea on an initial loan deal in 2014.

He spent seven years as a reliable left-back in the Premier League, and now he is set to continue his top-flight career with Leicester.

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