Southampton’s centre-back Virgil van Dijk has been one of the most sought after prospects in the game at this stroke of hour. The Dutch international has been on the radar of two Premier League heavyweights in the shapes of Liverpool and Arsenal and both these clubs have been closely monitoring the developments at St. Mary’s regarding van Dijk.
Jurgen Klopp’s side appeared to be the frontrunners earlier this summer in order to prise the defender out of Southampton and had tabled a ground shattering £60million bid to acquire his services. However, the Saints decided not to sanction his exit and deemed the way Liverpool went about it as an “illegal approach”. Owing to the same, a deal couldn’t materialize.
The 26-year-old has been frozen out of the squad and is yet to play in the league and of late, reports have started to emerge that the Emirates Stadium is likely to be the next destination for him. The Gunners were bulldozed and paralyzed by Liverpool last weekend as they were defeated 4-0 at Anfield last weekend, which did put their defensive loopholes on display.
Apart from the need to strengthen their defence before the summer transfer window shuts down, the North London based outfit might need to find an astute replacement for Skhodran Mustafi, who is reportedly on the verge of making a move to Inter Milan. Arsene Wenger’s men have had a torrid start to their new campaign, having suffered 2 losses in their first 3 league outings.
However, as a part of the deal, Southampton are keen to land Arsenal’s speedster Theo Walcott and would facilitate a move for van Dijk only if they get the English international. The 28-year-old emerged through the youth ranks of Newbury, Swindon Town and Southampton and was then promoted to their senior side.
Arsenal roped him into their ranks during the January transfer window of 2006 for £12million. Having accumulated 381 first-team appearances for his current employers, the attacker has banged 104 goals so far and has truckloads of experience under his belt.
But his stature at Arsenal is no longer the way it used to be, which is evident from the fact that he has been employed for merely 50 minutes so far this term. So, a return to his old club might be a good move for the winger as it will allow him to get more time on the pitch and it might finally help him realise his full potential.
