Chelsea will face competition from Liverpool for Southampton defender Virgil Van Dijk should the Premier League ace leave Saint Mary’s this summer, reports the London Evening Standard.
Van Dijk has been sidelined since suffering a serious ankle injury against Leicester back in January and there are fears the Netherlands international has already played his last game for Southampton.
The 25-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and was heavily linked with a move away from Southampton in January before injury ended any chance of a mid-season move.
However, Southampton are bracing themselves for interest at the end of the season but are not willing to entertain any offers unless their £50m valuation is matched, which could make Liverpool’s interest short lived.
Since the start of last season Van Dijk has been awarded the WhoScored Man of the Match at least four more times than any other defender (10).
For more stats on Virgil van Dijk, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
While aerial challenges won and especially clearances are quite overrated in whoscored's system, I'd venture to say he is the best CB in the Premier League overall. He's dominant in the air, positions himself excellently and he's very composed with the ball.