Chelsea have recently been reported to be close to the signing of Southampton’s Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk.
Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk
A recent report in the Daily Mirror has suggested that Chelsea are closing in on a deal for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, nearing agreement on a fee believed to be in the region of £50 million. It was believed that Manchester City were the closest to securing the Dutch defender’s signature, but it has now been suggested that Chelsea’s Antonio Conte is keen to bring in the Southampton man this summer, making him the club’s number one target.
After such an impressive period with the Saints, many Southampton fans will be sad to see Virgil van Dijk go. After signing the defender from Celtic in 2015, many wondered whether the Dutchman would be able to handle the step up in quality, especially seeing as he was replacing one of the best Southampton defenders over the past few years: Toby Alderweireld. However, van Dijk has more than done so, and is now widely regarded as one of the better centre-halves in the Premier League.
There’s no doubt the South Coast club will be disappointed to see van Dijk go; but could the move be a blessing in disguise? A £50 million fee for their defend is a mouth-watering amount, especially considering the defender hasn’t quite spent two seasons in the Premier League yet. As talented as the defender is, is he really worth £50 million?
Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk during training
Pocketing such a fee could also allow Southampton to majorly invest in their own squad. Over the years, Southampton have lost a number of their best players during transfer windows (most of them heading to Liverpool!), but the club have continued to replace them in impressive fashion. Lose Lallana? Bring in Nathan Redmond. Lose Wanyama? Bring in Romeu. Lose Alderweireld? Bring in van Dijk. Southampton have got one of the best recruitment teams in English football, and with £50 million potentially about to be put in their pocket, who knows just how good a player they could bring in.
Southampton’s Virgil Van Dijk arrives for training
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
