Transfer News: Leicester City agree €15M deal for star Southampton defender

Leicester City have signed Jannik Vestergaard from Southampton FC for a fee reported to be around £15m. Vestergaard is free to travel to Leicester to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms. The Clarets centre back is in the last year of his contract and was expected to leave on a free transfer next summer. Brendan Rodgers is an admirer of the Dane, having tried to sign him 18 months ago, and believes he fits the club’s profile.

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Leicester City sign Southampton’s Jannik Vestergaard

According to Sky Sports, the fee is £15m, while a second source has suggested Leicester will pay less than that for the 29-year-old.

The Telegraph also confirms that the Foxes have signed the Danish defender and the deal will be announced(officially) in the coming hours.

The Foxes wanted to sign a centre-back after Wesley Fofana was ruled out for a significant period with a broken leg sustained in a pre-season friendly against Villarreal last week. The absence of the Northern Ireland international has led Leicester to try and source an experienced replacement, with Vestergaard fitting that bill. Fofana suffered a fractured fibula and has since undergone surgery, but will not play until 2022 after the extent of his injury was ruled to be worse than first hoped. Fofana was carried off on a stretcher after suffering the injury during Leicester’s pre-season friendly against Villarreal at the King Power Stadium last week.

Southampton are “open” to selling Vestergaard this summer, with Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl addressing the matter during BBC Radio Solent’s Southampton Fans Forum. He said: “We have to look what is best for him. It’s not ideal when a player enters the final year of his contract. He is fantastic, he has done a fantastic job and he has had a very good Euros.”

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According to talkSPORT, Leicester City’s initial £13million offer was rejected by Saints, who told their Premier League rivals they required a deal worth £15m plus several add-ons.

Vestergaard joined Southampton from Borussia Monchengladbach for a fee believed to be £18m in July 2018. He made 32 appearances under Ralph Hasenhuttl last season as Southampton finished 15th in the Premier League and played in all six of Denmark’s games as they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020.

According to The Telegraph, Jannik Vestergaard has told his Southampton teammates that he expects to leave the club after Leicester City agreed a deal for the Dane. It has been a tough summer for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men. They have lost Danny Ings.

Meanwhile, Ryan Bertrand moved to the King Power Stadium earlier in the window. So, losing Vestergaard looks to be a real blow. And a fee of £15 million does not leave them in the best position to find a replacement.

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