Everton are reportedly preparing a summer move for Leicester City defender Jannik Vestergaard.
According to reports in Football Insider, Everton are eager to add defensive reinforcements this summer to give Frank Lampard a fighting chance to take the club back into the top half of the Premier League next term. They have identified Leicester City ace Jannik Vestergaard as a potential signing, with ample experience in English football helping the Danish defender’s case.
Whether the 29-year-old fancies a move to Merseyside just a year after joining Leicester is a big question. Vestergaard joined the Foxes in the last summer transfer window for £15 million after impressing for Southampton during his three-year stay with them.
The centre-back made 79 appearances for the Saints, scoring four times. Prior to his move to Southampton, Vestergaard was a Bundesliga journeyman, representing the likes of Hoffenheim, Werder Bremen and Borussia Monchengladbach in seven seasons in the German top flight.
Over at Leicester, Vestergaard is a second-choice centre-back and has made just ten Premier League appearances this season, with just six of them being starts. The pair of Daniel Amartey and Caglar Soyuncu are preferred over the Denmark international by manager Brendan Rodgers. The lack of game-time could convince the defender to switch Leicester’s blue with Everton’s.
Everton are interested in the 29-year-old with the club’s new director of football, Kevin Thelwell, eager to bring the centre-back to Merseyside. The aforementioned report states that a senior Everton scout even watched Vestergaard in action during Denmark’s recent international friendly against Serbia.
These developments signal a strong interest from the blue half of Merseyside. Everton have struggled defensively this season, conceding 47 league goals. Their defensive frailty has left them 17th on the league table, just three points off the drop zone. So, it does not come as a surprise that they wish to bolster their options at the back.
Everton currently have Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite as their centre-back options. With the current crop struggling to keep things tidy at the back, the Toffees could move in for Vestergaard this summer. But before that, they have the job of avoiding relegation to the Championship.
