Bad news for Liverpool & Southampton
There hasn’t been a week of the summer transfer window which hasn’t included updates on the future of Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk is close to recovery after a long lay-off since January. Meanwhile, Southampton have appointed Mauricio Pellegrino as they look to reenergise their squad for the 2017-18 Premier League campaign.
ALSO READ: Antonio Conte and Chelsea now "clear favourites" to land £50m English Star.
He missed the club’s pre-season tour in France, while this week saws rumours spread that he skipped Southampton training.
Liverpool have been hot on Van Dijk’s heels all summer too – the Reds had to issue an apology for trying to sign the defender in an underhanded manner – however the big news in the Times on Friday is that Chelsea are ready to hijack the deal.
Do Chelsea need defenders?
Antonio Conte has been calling for new signings for months, while recent reports claim the Italian wants up to four new players before the window shuts.
Chelsea have also boosted their backline already this summer. While John Terry has left the Blues, Antonio Rudiger joined from Roma, while Andreas Christensen has returned to Stamford Bridge from a two year loan spell at Gladbach.
With the likes of David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses still with Chelsea, it’s not as if the Blues are overly short of options in defence.
Yet, the Times believe the Blues may swoop for Liverpool target VVD.
What’s the story?
The battle for VVD between Chelsea and Liverpool is laid out as follows by the broadsheet:
Chelsea are preparing to challenge Liverpool for the signature of Virgil van Dijk by offering Southampton £50 million for the Holland defender.
ALSO READ: Chelsea close to sealing fifth summer signing in potential £22m deal - report
Antonio Conte identified Van Dijk as a transfer target in January and has persuaded the club to make a firm bid, with Chelsea optimistic that a deal could be agreed before the start of the Premier League season next weekend.
One suspects that if Southampton feel compelled to sell the defender, they’d rather he joined Chelsea than Liverpool.
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