Former Chelsea academy graduate and player Ryan Bertrand is currently training with the club in order to regain his match fitness, according to a tweet from Fabrizio Romano.

He is currently searching for a new club – he was released by Leicester City at the end of the 2022/23 season and is now a free agent.

Bertrand spent ten years at Chelsea, joining their academy in 2005 at the age of 16. He made 28 appearances for the Blues during his stint at the club – most of his Blues spell was characterised by loan deal at teams such as Norwich City, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. In 2015, he completed a permanent move to Southampton.

In Romano’s tweet, he wrote: Ryan Bertrand, fully fit and now training at Chelsea loan development group. Bertrand will be making a decision on his next step. Interest from England, Europe and Middle East — as he’s free agent now.”

Who is interested in a transfer for Ryan Bertrand?

In his tweet, Romano mentions that Bertrand is the subject of interest from clubs in ‘England, Europe and Middle East’ – but he does not delve into any specifics.

So far, no clubs have been explicitly linked with a move for the Southwark native, but it appears that there is interest out there for his signature.

Could Ryan Bertrand make a return to Chelsea?

At this point, it seems unlikely. While Bertrand was a fine player in his prime, at 34 years of age and having played just four Premier League games since the summer of 2021, his time at the top level is over.

On top of this, he has also spent a significant amount of time on the sidelines with a knee injury – it is unclear as to what sort of physical state he is in, although Romano mentioned in his tweet that he is ‘fully fit’.

Moreover, Chelsea already have three superior options at left-back – Marc Cucurella, Ian Maatsen and Ben Chilwell. Should Cucurella decide to leave the club, Bertrand could be brought in as an affordable backup in emergency situations – but his status in the squad would be little more than that.