Leicester City to make a move for £15m rated Southampton defender

Leicester City are set to make a £15 million move for Southampton defender Jannik Vestergaard. Their manager Brendan Rodgers wants more options at the heart of the defence as he looks to ensure that the Foxes finish inside the top four and qualify for the Champions League. 

As per reports in England, the Northern Irishman has identified Vestergaard as the ideal man to bolster the Leicester backline. 

It is understood that the Saints could be prepared to cash in on one of their star players, now that they look virtually safe following their excellent run of form after a dismal start to the season. 

At a point earlier this season, it seemed that Southampton could be going down but they have fought back well. The Saints are now in the top half of the table. 

Rodgers' team, on the other hand, is a centre-half short as Wes Morgan has been struggling with injuries. The former Liverpool manager is keen to send Croatian international Filip Benkovic out on loan. 

Benkovic played for Celtic last season and could be allowed to go the Championship for game time. That would leave first-choice Foxes duo Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans as the only fit central defenders at the club. 

Rodgers reportedly had failed attempts to sign both Merih Demiral and Daniele Rugani from Juventus. He has now turned his attention towards Danish defender Jannik Vestergaard. 

Vestergaard, who boasts a frame of 6ft 6in, joined the Saints from German side Borussia Monchengladbach for £18 million in July of 2018. 

The 27-year-old made only 23 Premier League outings last season. He has not been able to nail down a starting role in this campaign as of yet. 

The Danish international struggled at the start of the season and was subbed at half-time in Saints’ 9-0 mauling at home by Leicester in October. 

The manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has preferred the duo of Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek as Saints’ centre-back pairing in recent weeks. 

This move has seen the Saints make an amazing resurgence. The south coast club has soared from the relegation zone up to ninth since the middle of December. 

However, the Dane has got back into the starting XI in more than two months in Saints’ 2-0 win at Crystal Palace on Tuesday as Bednarek has suffered an Achilles injury.

Featured Image Credits - The Sun