Southampton: Ryan Bertrand joins from Chelsea on season-long loan

Bertrand made 16 league appearances on loan at Aston Villa last season

Chelsea left-back Ryan Bertrand has become Southampton's third summer signing as they rebuild after selling five players for £92m.

The 24 year-old has joined on a season-long loan but, according to the Press Association, there is an option to make the deal permanent for up to £10m.

Saints have already signed striker Graziano Pelle from Feyenoord and midfielder Dusan Tadic from FC Twente.

"I'm very happy to be able to bring Ryan in," manager Ronald Koeman said.

"I spoke to him on Monday afternoon and I was very impressed with his attitude and how keen he was to play games for Southampton."

Bertrand has been at Chelsea since 2006 but has only made 28 league appearances for them and spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.

He was famously selected in the starting XI when the Blues won the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 2012.

"I had a lot of options and a lot of interest but, having met the people and spoken to the manager and seen what the club is about, in my mind this was the perfect decision," said Bertrand, who has won two caps for England.

Saints have been under scrutiny in recent days in the wake of the exodus of players from St Mary's this summer.

Teenage full-back Calum Chambers became the fifth player to leave following his £16m move to Arsenal on Monday.

Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren have all joined Liverpool while left-back Luke Shaw signed for Manchester United.

Midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and striker Jay Rodriguez were also strongly linked with Tottenham but Saints chairman Ralph Krueger insisted on Tuesday the pair would not be sold.

Chief executive officer Gareth Rogers said: "Ryan is a young, attacking full-back and will fit in perfectly with the club's philosophy and style of play.

"This is another important step forward in terms of rebuilding our first-team squad with exciting English talent at its core."