Tottenham target cut-price Saints defender this summer

Lewis Oldham
Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur are set to target Southampton defender Jannik Vestergaard, who is out of contract next summer, according to reports.

Vestergaard, whose mother is German, started his senior career in the Bundesliga. After playing for the likes of Copenhagen and Brøndby at academy level, he joined Hoffenheim in 2010.

The 28-year-old spent a year in their reserve team before he made his senior debut in 2011. He established himself as a regular for the German side from the 2011/12 campaign onwards.


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Vestergaard made 82 appearances for them before he joined Werder Bremen in January 2015. He was a key player there as he played 54 times from his one-and-a-half years at the club.

The centre-back’s form for Bremen earned him a move to Borussia Monchengladbach for around €12m. He played 49 times for his new team during his debut season. This included four outings apiece in the Champions League and Europa League.

His impressive form continued the season after as he totted up 83 appearances overall from his two years at the club.

This alerted the attention of Southampton, who signed him in 2018 for around £18m. Since his move to the Premier League, Vestergaard has been one of the Saints’ most consistent performers.

The Danish international has played 68 times for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side since his move to the Premier League.

Southampton enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2020/21 campaign and their win over Newcastle in November moved them to the top of the league. But a barren run of form has seen them plummet down the table.

Vestergaard was one of their best players at the start of the season, but he missed seven games with a knee injury between December and February. It was here where their results started to drop off.

The Saints only won one league game while Vestergaard was out. The final game he was unavailable was their 9-0 defeat to Manchester United.

The Mirror have reported that Tottenham are considering a move for Vestergaard. Jose Mourinho has had problems at centre back this season, and the Saints man is seen as an ideal signing. He is out of contract at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.