(Reuters) - Southampton has signed Denmark international defender Jannik Vestergaard from German side Borussia Monchengladbach on a four-year contract, the Premier League club said on Friday.
Vestergaard, who made 83 appearances in all competitions for Monchengladbach since joined the Bundesliga club in 2016, has 16 caps for Denmark and was included in Age Hareide's squad for this year's World Cup but did not feature in any of the games.
"It feels great. The deal has been under way a couple of days and I'm very excited now it has finally happened," Vestergaard told the club's website.
"I knew of the interest before the World Cup and the club has followed me for quite some time and done a lot of scouting, which is also a good sign for me that they know my strengths and weaknesses.
"The degree to which the club wanted me was important in my decision. They had done a lot of research, seen a lot of live games and on video as well. I feel I'm at a really good place to develop."
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed but media reports suggest the deal for the 25-year-old was worth 18 million pounds ($23.63 million).
Vestergaard is Southampton's fourth signing in the current window following the arrivals of winger Mohamed Elyounoussi, goalkeeper Angus Gunn and midfielder Stuart Armstrong.
($1 = 0.7619 pounds)
(Reporting by Anirban Paul in Bengaluru, editing by Louise Heavens)