Leeds tangled up in £70m PL saga as top-flight side enter hunt for Elland Road star – reports
Southampton are in the hunt to sign Leeds United defender Pontus Jansson in January, according to a report.
The Sun on Sunday (print edition, page 61, 24 December) claims that the Premier League side have set their sights on Jansson, 26, as they prepare for life without Virgil van Dijk.
It is understood that the Saints are also targetting Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson and that a move for the Riverside centre-back would perhaps be the more likely option.
Leeds have now become tangled up in a transfer saga that is still playing out from the summer.
Liverpool were warned off van Dijk by Southampton but now the Times has reported that Manchester City and Arsenal have both joined the race to sign the Netherlands international, who is valued at a staggering £70million.
Van Dijk handed in a transfer request at St Mary’s in the summer, but it was rejected by the south coast side.
If the top-flight Saints would to net their asking price for the ex-Celtic defender, there’s little doubt that they would be able to afford to prise Jansson away from Elland Road.
The Sweden international is a star player for Leeds, making 20 appearances across all competitions so far this term and scoring two goals in the process.
Football Insider verdict
Leeds have recently got their season back on track and one thing they must avoid in January is letting go of their key players. One major plus point for the Whites is that Southampton seem most likely to sign Gibson, and due to the fact that he has Premier League experience, whereas Jansson doesn’t, perhaps makes the Englishman a more risk-free option. Even though the Whites could potentially net a big sum for offloading Jansson to Southampton, the Swede is simply to pivotal a player to let go. Leeds’ rise up the Championship standings has coincided with Jansson’s arrival in Yorkshire and he is perhaps one of the best centre-backs in the league. He has the ability to play in the Premier League, but hopefully that happens with United.
In other Leeds United news, Andy Couzens has slammed this attacker for his performance against Hull.
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