Arsenal

Liverpool To Battle Arsenal & Chelsea Over Signing Of £50m Dutch International

Liverpool are prepared to smash their transfer record to beat Arsenal and Chelsea to the signing of £50m-rated Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk

by
Fraser Crawford
April 26, 2017

Managers are now making plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Liverpool are ready to break their transfer record to land Virgil van Dijk….

Liverpool are prepared to smash their transfer record to beat Arsenal and Chelsea to the signing of £50m-rated Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk this summer, according to the Mirror.

van Dijk has developed in to one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League since joining Southampton from Celtic in 2015 with his superb performances at the back catching the eye of several top clubs.

The Dutch international – who is currently on the sidelines with a serious foot injury – is widely expected to leave St Marys in search of Champions League football this summer.

The Mirror claim that Arsenal and Chelsea are among the clubs to have expressed their interest in signing the 25-year-old with Southampton resigned to losing their star man at the end of the season.

Arsene Wenger has recently adopted a new 3-4-3 formation at the Emirates so the Gunners boss will need to further strengthen his centre-back options this summer and it appears van Dijk is firmly on his radar.

Chelsea are also in the market for a new dominant defender to replace out-going skipper John Terry and van Dijk would be a superb addition as Antonio Conte gets ready to take the champions-elect back in to the Champions League.

However, the Mirror are citing a report from the Liverpool Echo that claims Liverpool are also desperate to sign van Dijk and are prepared to meet Southampton’s £50m valuation.

That would smash their current transfer record which was set when they splashed out £35m on Andy Carroll in 2011 and the Reds will also need to make van Dijk one of their highest earners to lure him to Anfield.

It’s gearing up to be a fascinating battle between three of England’s most powerful clubs as they go head-to-head over the signing of van Dijk this summer but it will be a major coup for whoever ends up landing the talented centre-back.