Report suggests Everton scouted Leeds’ Pontus Jansson in January

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Leeds United defender Pontus Jansson was reportedly on Everton’s radar back in January.

According to a report from the Yorkshire Evening Post, Everton are believed to have scouted Leeds defender Pontus Jansson back in January as speculation over his future continues to rumble.

Jansson is an extremely popular figure amongst the Leeds side. The Swede was an inspired loan signing during Garry Monk’s tenure, forming a superb partnership alongside Kyle Bartley at the heart of the Whites’s back four, and it surprised absolutely no-one that Leeds wanted to make his move from Torino permanent.

The club managed it, with the Yorkshire Evening Post reporting that Jansson cost £3.5 million. But unfortunately, the centre-back has been unable to replicate that form from his first year this past season.

Leeds began the campaign with an incredible record of six clean sheets in their first seven league games – the only game they conceded in was the one that Jansson was suspended for – but their form dipped off significantly and they fell out of the promotion picture long before the business end of the season arrived.

The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that Jansson has been linked with a number of Premier League sides in recent times, and they also now suggest that Everton had their eye on the 27-year-old during the January window.

The report does not suggest how serious the Toffees’s interest was – they did sign a defender that month with Eliaquim Mangala joining on loan on deadline day – or whether they may still have Jansson on their radar. But based on how this past season has gone for Everton’s defence, it may not be a surprise if he was the kind of target that may be being discussed.

The Merseyside club conceded 58 goals in the top flight – Arsenal were the only other team in the top eight to concede more than 39 – and the likes of Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams are clearly edging towards the end of their careers at the highest level.

Everton may well have absolutely no plans to have another look at Jansson right now – there is, of course, a very different setup in place at Goodison Park now – but Leeds may perhaps feel that a good World Cup for the defender could well make their task of keeping hold of him much tougher.