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Southampton Linked With Defenders From Both Rangers And Celtic

The media North of the border are suggesting that Saints are about to cross Hadrian's Wall and make bids for central defenders from the Old Firm, will they go for both or just one from Ibrox or Parkhead.

With rumours of either Tottenham Hotspur or Leicester City about to make a bid for the rejuvenated Jannik Vestergaard, it is not unnatural for Saints to be linked for a replacement, or in this case two, although it should be said that last summer with Vestergaard having dropped to fourth in the pecking order after the arrival of Mohammed Salisu, that they might feel that the Dane's replacement is already at the club, albeit as an understudy to Bednarek and Salisu.

The Scottish media though are claiming that Saints are casting eyes at both Celtic and Rangers to replace Vestergaard should he leave.

Saints fans will raise an eyebrow though as neither Kyle Mcclelland or Leo Hjelde have yet to reach the age of 20 nor are they regulars in either of the Old Firms first teams.

Indeed both are out on loan at present, Mcclelland who turned 19 in February is out on loan at Falkirk in Scottish League One whom he joined at the start of March he is yet to play a League game for the club but has featured in the Scottish Cup.

Leo Hjelde is Norwegain but he won't turn 18 until August, he is out on loan at Scottish Premier League side Ross County and he is getting game time there since joining them in January.

He has slotted straight into the side and aside from there game against his parent club Celtic is a regular starter.

That perhaps means that Saints have more of an idea about Hjelde's ability than Mcclelland's.

Either way Saints would consider them both ones for the future rather than slotting straight into the side.

As mentioned last summer Saints signed Mohammed Salisu as the replacement for Vestergaard who had fallen to 3rd in the pecking order, behind both Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens and at the start of this season he looked to be going down to 4th choice with the arrival of Salisu.

But in football things can change quickly , Vestergaard has suddenly found the form he had never really sown in the last two years and is considered the senior man in the central defence, Salisu has come in and shown that he has talent and is now 3rd choice and Jack Stephens has dropped right out of the picture to 4th.

If Vestrgaard goes Saints will have money to replace him, but with Salisu stepping up and Stephens unlikely to go anywhere due to his high wages, the likelihood is that if we sign a central defender it will be one with potential rather than experience.

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