Chelsea have won the Premier League for the current season and all their players and their coach are in celebratory mood. However, Antonio Conte, the Italian manager of The Blues is looking to ensure that they defend their title successfully in the next season and has already started the procedure to strengthen his team by bringing in players who have performed exceptionally well with their current clubs.
One such player, who has been on the radar for Chelsea for quite some time now is the Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk. He has been one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League this season, although having missed a chunk of the season through injury. That has, however, not brought down the value of the highly rated defender, as he is reportedly being strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
As per sources, his current club, Southampton, has slammed a price tag on the prized possession which amounts to a whopping £60 million. However, Chelsea have been known to be big spenders during the transfer markets and might go in for the Dutch ace to strengthen their backline for the next season.
Van Dijk has been a player to bring a lot of hope to Southampton this season to end their campaign in a comfortable position on the Premier League table. However, it has been due to his injury that the South Coast club are not able to finish where they intended to. They will definitely look to hold on to the Dutchman for another season, hoping that his comeback into the side will make their dream come true this time around.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will be without their legendary centre back and ex-captain John Terry this term, as the Englishman has already confirmed that he will be leaving Stamford Bridge at the end of the current season. This has called in for the inclusion of a player who can replace the ex-England captain at the heart of The Blues’ defence for the days to come in an effective way and it goes without saying that Van Dijk is the perfect candidate to fit their bill next term.
Reportedly, the Dutch centre-back has been linked with the likes of Liverpool and Everton as well. Both the Merseyside teams are suffering from defensive lapses on various occasions throughout the season and will look to bring in someone like Van Dijk to shake things up in their respective backlines. However, The Blues look to be the favourites to bag the defender for next term.
