Chelsea could see a familiar figure return to Stamford Bridge this summer amid reports Mauricio Pochettino is keen on a deal for academy graduate Tino Livramento

Former Chelsea Academy Player of the Year Tino Livramento could be in line for a shock return to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly eyeing a deal for the right-back just two years after he left west London for Southampton. Livramento joined the Saints for only £8million and quickly settled into life as a Premier League regular, but his future looks uncertain following their relegation to the Championship.

However, the Blues will likely have to shell out almost five times that fee in order to beat Newcastle to his signature. It’s understood Chelsea have a buy-back clause for the player worth £38m, with another three years left to run on his current contract at St. Mary’s.

Livramento enjoyed a stellar first year on the south coast, but a serious knee injury kept him sidelined for almost the entire 2022/23 campaign. His only senior appearances of the season came against Brighton and Liverpool in the final two fixtures, totalling 26 minutes of match time.

And while Newcastle can offer a potential route to Champions League football, Chelsea can only offer domestic competition at present. Eddie Howe’s side recently completed the £55m signing of AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali and are hoping to build depth in certain key areas.

The Daily Mail report the Magpies initially offered £12m for Livramento but have since almost doubled that bid to £21m.

Kieran Trippier, 32, only signed a new deal until 2025 at St. James’ Park this past January. However, Livramento could make for the ideal young understudy to provide depth and a potential successor in the years to come.

Chelsea, meanwhile, look a lot more settled with Reece James as their right-back of choice, with Malo Gusto still to arrive this summer. The Blues bought Gusto in January before loaning him back to Lyon for the rest of the 2022/23 season, but the France under-21 international is also highly rated.

England under-21 counterpart Livramento – who grew up playing in more attacking roles – has settled nicely as a full-back and could make a swift return to the Premier League. However, it’s been suggested Chelsea could loan the player back to Southampton for a season if they succeed in their bid.

His summer transfer could be a win-win for Chelsea on some level, meanwhile, as it’s understood the west Londoners also negotiated a sell-on clause as part of his move to Southampton.

Pochettino’s side have already added Villarrreal forward Nicolas Jackson and RB Leipzig attacker Christopher Nkunku to their ranks this summer.