SAINTS have continued their summer spending spree with the capture of £18m centre-back Jannik Vestergaard from Borussia Monchengladbach.

The Denmark international signs a four-year deal at St Mary's, becoming the most expensive defender in the club’s history and the first defensive new recruit since Virgil van Dijk's January exit to Liverpool.

The 25-year-old is Saints’ fourth summer signing after Stuart Armstrong, Mohamed Elyounoussi and Angus Gunn.

The 6ft6in Dane has been on Saints radar for some time, with the club deciding to go after the towering defender over Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson and Barcelona’s Marlon Santos.

Vestergaard, who made 32 appearances in the German Bundesliga last season, takes Saints’ summer spending to £51m.

The imposing figure has spent eight years playing in the German Bundesliga, having played for Brondby in his homeland in his youth.

A young Vestergaard started out at Hoffenheim, where he made 76 appearances in four-and-a-half seasons before moving to Werder Bremen in January 2015.

He was a mainstay in Werder’s team in 2015/16, playing 39 games in all competitions.

Mochengladbach then paid 12m euros for Vestergaard in June 2016 where he played 79 times in two seasons.

Vestergaard has missed just three Bundesliga matches in three seasons and is known for his aerial might. He is also said to be comfortable on the ball.

The centre-back is familiar to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, having played together for Denmark.

They have started two senior games alongside each-other but also played at the European Under-21 Championships in 2015, where the Danes reached the semi-final.

Mark Hughes said: “We have had to fight off a lot of competition to bring Jannik here, and we are delighted he has chosen Southampton as the right place to take the next step in his career.

“Although we were aware of the level of interest in Jannik, he made it clear very quickly that the quality of the club and the ambitions we have here meant this was his number-one option.

“He represents another excellent addition to our squad this summer, and brings with him an extensive amount of experience for his age. That means he can not only help us in the present, but that he has the potential to develop his game even more with us, which is what we want as a club and is clearly exciting for both parties.

“One of our intentions this summer was to strengthen our aerial presence, and Jannik can help us do that not only defensively, but also in the opposition penalty area.

“His character and the leadership qualities he has shown in an intense division like the Bundesliga have been impressive, and, as a club, we have been following him for some time now, so we are naturally delighted to have been able to bring him to Southampton.”