Following a shambolic opening day defeat to Burnley, Chelsea are trying to step up their pursuit of a new defender or two and have reportedly revived their interest in Manchester City and Liverpool target, Virgil van Dijk.
The Dutchman missed the second half of last season through injury but is still regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League.
Southampton, now under new ownership following a £210m takeover from the Gao Family, insist that the defender is strictly not for sale in a statement from chairman Ralph Krueger.
Virgil is not for sale in this window and it’s not personal. It’s not about him, it’s about an overall much, much, much bigger picture – a change of course for Southampton.
The first summer I was here five players went out and six went in, not counting academy. Second summer three went out, seven came in, and third summer five went out, five came in. Now it is one out and two in, and this is who we want to become.
We want to mature, we want to be a team that can profit from synergies that create a much more attractive football and a better product for the fans, and gives us a chance to get back into Europe.
That’s one player in this whole equation of 25 and it is the visible one, but for us it’s the principle and it’s the path and it’s the statement we need to make to get to a new space as a club.
We are very, very adamant about carrying this through. The new partnership has completely and wholly backed our strategy and plan and on September 1st people will see how serious we were and are.
Chelsea are believed to be on good terms with Southampton, having dealt with them in the past with the transfer of Ryan Bertrand, and it’s understood that the Blues believes this leaves them well placed in their efforts to sign both van Dijk and teammate Cedric Soares.
Southampton don’t want to deal with Liverpool and it’s reported that Chelsea and Manchester City are the most likely landing spots for van Dijk, but it appears that the south coast club, who value the centre-back at £70m, are serious in their stance that he will not leave this summer.
