Transfer Rumour: Chelsea submit £60 million offer to land Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk

Chelsea have reportedly reignited their interest in Virgil van Dijk having submitted a £60 million offer for the Southampton defender.

According to a report in Sky Italia, Chelsea have entered the market for Virgil van Dijk once again. The Premier League champions have made a formal offer to Southampton by tabling a bid worth £60 million for the Dutch defender.

Van Dijk has been yet another success story for the Southampton scouting team that has brought forth gems such as Sadio Mane, Victor Wanyama and others to the Premier League in recent seasons.

In fact, the Netherlands international has adapted to Premier League so well that he is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the country at the present moment. A rock at the back with his reading of the game and strong build, van Dijk is adept on the ball as well as in aerial situations.

And despite missing the second half of the recently concluded season due to an ankle injury, with the player’s defensive prowess being in no doubt whatsoever, he has attracted interest from some of the most prominent clubs in the Premier League.

In fact, van Dijk looked set to move to Liverpool in the summer transfer window, with the player himself preferring a switch to Anfield. The transfer, though, failed to materialise after a professional goof up by the Reds forced them to end their pursuit of the Dutchman.

While Liverpool have now set their sights elsewhere for defensive reinforcements, Chelsea seem to have rekindled their interest in van Dijk. Antonio Conte employed a back-three in his system at Stamford Bridge in the recently concluded campaign that ended with the Blues reclaiming the Premier League title.

While the trio of Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill gelled impressively well in this system, the Chelsea boss has a dearth of recognised options beyond his first-choice central defenders. On top of that, the position of Andreas Christensen is also up in the air, with mixed reports surrounding his future at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Kurt Zouma is expected to head out on a season-long loan in the summer, thereby leaving Conte with Nahan Ake as his only option beyond the first-choice trio. Thus, with an urgent need to recruit a quality central defender in the summer, the Chelsea boss has set his sights on van Dijk.

And as per the report by Sky Italia, the Blues have also made a formal offer by tabling a £60 million bid for the player to Southampton. Talks have progressed positively as well, and Chelsea expect to wrap the deal for van Dijk soon. It now remains to be seen if the move sees the light of the day anytime soon.