Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is ready to kick off a summer of huge spending with a move for injured Southampton star Virgil van Dijk, reports The Daily Mirror.
Van Dijk, 25, hasn’t featured for Southampton since suffering ankle ligament damage in January and is expected to move on in the summer after establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League this season.
The £50m-rated centre-back has been heavily linked with moves to Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool already this season but Arsenal have now entered the frame.
Arsene Wenger reverted to a back three for the first time in 20 years as Arsenal ended a run of four straight away league defeats at the expense of Middlesbrough on Monday night and has been convinced of its worth as a result.
The Arsenal manager has earmarked the signing of Van Dijk as the ideal player to play alongside Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi in a three-man defence next season and is ready to beat their Premier League rivals to his signature.
Since joining Southampton from Celtic in September 2015, Van Dijk has been awarded the WhoScored Man of the Match award at least six more times than any other teammate and more times than any defender in the league (10).
For more stats on Virgil van Dijk, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
