Southampton and Everton battling for Sporting defender

Southampton and Everton are set to lock heads for the signature of Sporting defender Ruben Semedo, reports The Sun.

Both Premier League sides have reportedly deployed scouts to watch Semedo on numerous occasions throughout the campaign and are now ready to firm up their interest.

Southampton need to sign defenders in the summer following Jose Fonte’s January exit and also the fact that Virgil Van Dijk’s future at the club is still unclear.

However, Claude Puel’s side will have to try and fend off competition from former manager Ronald Koeman, who might be interested in a long-term replacement for 34-year-old Phil Jagielka.

The lanky Portugal Under-21 international has started in 18 league games for Sporting this season and he has made a positive impression in that time. In fact, no active Sporting player has a higher pass success rate in the Liga NOS this season than Semedo (90.3%).

For more stats on Ruben Semedo, click here to visit his WhoScored player page