Chelsea are in a strong position to sign Southampton central defender Virgil Van Dijk, according to The Evening Standard.
The report claims that Chelsea have a good relationship with Southampton and are in a strong position to sign Van Dijk, should the Saints decide they want to cash in.
Van Dijk is currently in limbo on the south coast. Southampton are refusing to sell the Dutchman and he has handed in a transfer request.
The defender did not feature at all in pre-season and was excluded from Southampton’s squad for the opening game of the Premier League season.
Van Dijk has been injured since January but is back in first-team training ready for a potential move.
Chelsea would have to pay a world-record fee for a defender if Southampton did decide to sell, with the 26-year-old valued at £70m.
The report also claims that Chelsea are upping their interest in Southampton right-back Cedric Soares.
They claim that Chelsea think they can strike a deal for a fee in the region of £20m before the end of the month.
