As per the Sunday Sun, Southampton are preparing for the exit of wantaway centre-back Virgil van Dijk in January and have identified Leeds star Pontus Jansson as his replacement.
The Dutch international was blocked from leaving during the summer, but it appears the club are resolved to finally losing their man, with the quartet of Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all keen on the £70million-rated ex-Celtic star.
With more than enough money to spend on a replacement once a move goes through, convincing Leeds to part with one of their most important players might not be very hard.
Jansson only just made his earlier loan move from Torino permanent during the summer for £3.5million, but with Premier League football on offer, jumping ship might be more than tempting.
Leeds indeed remain one of the favourites for the playoffs, but they have been inconsistent and sincerely don’t look like a club that can maintain their topflight status should promotion be secured.
While Jansson has been one of the club’s best performers and a top Championship player, Leeds’ resolve could be tempted with a huge offer from the Saints, and both player and club do have a lot to fight against next month should Van Dijk leave.
