Why Leeds fans will be particularly pleased if Southampton land Ben Gibson

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Southampton are reportedly keen on Ben Gibson this summer, and that is surely a deal that will delight Leeds United fans.

Southampton have seemingly taken little time to respond to Virgil van Dijk’s decision to hand in an official transfer request at St Mary’s, with The Sun reporting that they have stepped up their pursuit of Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson.

The Sun reports that the Saints are optimistic that they could have a good chance of being able to bring the centre-back to the south coast during this window with the prospect of returning to the top flight likely to prove too difficult to turn down.

And with van Dijk being discussed as a player that should command a fee of at least £50 million, it appears that they will certainly have the funds needed to make the £30 million bid The Sun suggests could be required to land Gibson.

Should van Dijk leave and Gibson becomes the man to replace him at the heart of the Saints’ defence, it is likely that Leeds fans will be particularly delighted about the two deals.

The Sun suggested back in April that the Saints had earmarked Leeds cult-hero Pontus Jansson as the man they planned to target if van Dijk left – so it would hardly be a surprise if the Whites fans were just keeping one eye on the former Celtic man’s future, especially given the lack of centre-back options Thomas Christiansen currently has available to him.

In many fans’ eyes, Jansson is one of the first names on the Leeds teamsheet, so losing him would be a massive blow to their promotion hopes, so Southampton looking elsewhere could enable the club to breathe a sigh of relief.

And given the strained relationship between the Elland Road faithful and their former manager Garry Monk, Saints signing Gibson would arguably also be fairly satisfying as it would leave Monk having to fill the considerable void in the Boro defence that the 24-year-old would leave behind.

Though it may also not be out of the question to suggest that Leeds may need to be wary if such a deal does take place, as Monk – perhaps armed with £30 million of funds – may be tempted to try and target Jansson for the second time in just over a year.