Southampton reportedly bid £15.5m for Everton linked centre-back Wesley Hoedt

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Wesley Hoedt impressed with Lazio in Serie A last season and has caught the eye of both Southampton and Everton.

With Virgil van Dijk burning his bridges at Southampton, going on strike before handing in a transfer request to force a move away, the club would surely be better served putting their energies into finding a replacement than attempting to convince the talismanic Dutchman to stick around for another year.

And, according to Il Messaggero, it appears that Southampton have identified Lazio defender Wesley Hoedt as the ideal successor for his in-demand compatriot at St Mary’s.

The Sun reported earlier this month that The Saints had bid £12 million for the 23-year-old, though Lazio were demanding far more for a player who made his Netherlands debut earlier this year.

Italian newspaper Il Messaggero is now reporting that Southampton have returned with a second bid of around £15.5 million for Hoedt and it remains to be seen whether such a fee is more to Lazio’s liking.

Hoedt, who can also play at left-back and defensive midfield, recovered from a slow start to life at the Stadio Olimpico to form a fine partnership with fellow Dutch international Stefan de Vrij under Simone Inzaghi last season, helping Lazio finish fifth in Serie A and reach the Coppa Italia final.

An excellent passer of the ball with an impressive aerial presence, Hoedt is certainly cut from the same cloth as Van Dijk, who ESPN claim is a £50 million target for Chelsea.

However, it remains to be seen whether Everton will match Southampton’s bid, The Sun claiming that director of football Steve Walsh and Dutch manager Ronald Koeman were firm admirers of the former AZ Alkmaar stopper.

The Toffees have already spent big on Burnley’s Michael Keane this summer but, with Ashley Williams and Phil Jagielka the wrong side of 30 and Ramiro Funes Mori facing months on the sidelines, another centre-half wouldn’t go amiss.