Barcelona could make a move for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk this summer – according to the bookmakers anyway.
Van Dijk has been fantastic for the Saints since he arrived from Celtic back in 2015, and appears to be one of the most highly sought after defenders in the Premier League, with the Daily Mail recently reporting that Chelsea are keen on offering £60 million for the Netherlands international while Liverpool are also interested.
Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk
But it appears that the bookmakers expect the English sides to have to contend with Spanish giants Barcelona if they want to land his signature.
According to Sky Bet, Barca at 5/1 third favourites to sign the centre-back, situated only behind Liverpool (11/10 favourites) and Chelsea (6/4) in the running, while Manchester City are some way off the front-runners at 20/1.
It would hardly be a surprise if Barcelona were looking to bolster their options at the heart of the defence, with Jeremy Mathieu leaving the Nou Camp for Sporting Lisbon.
And given that van Dijk is incredibly comfortable with the ball at his feet, he is perhaps the kind of centre-back that has the attributes that would allow him to potentially thrive playing for Barca.
But it remains to be seen whether the betting odds prove to be accurate and the Catalan giants do have any interest in testing Southampton’s resolve to keep their talisman.
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