Liverpool may have the final laugh in Virgin van Dijk pursuit as his current club Southampton are looking at replacements. As reported in the Daily Mail, the Saints are preparing to submit a £12million bid for Lazio’s Wesley Hoedt as they prepare for Van Dijk’s departure.

Considering the long delay in the matter, this should be positive news for the Reds’ fans that the deal could go through.

The £60 million-rated Dutch defender is due for talks with Southampton this week to discuss his future. He has already made it clear that he wanted to move on, although the Saints are hoping to delay the inevitable.

Van Dijk trained alone at the Staplewood training base last week while Southampton were on a pre-season trip to France.

Liverpool are the favourites for his signature after the 26-year-old has voiced his desire to move to Anfield. There was some unwanted tension earlier in the summer when Southampton threatened to report Liverpool over their approaches to Van Dijk.

Chelsea were also reportedly interested in the Dutch defender although Van Dijk has made it clear that he wants to work with Jurgen Klopp.

New Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino has Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida as his preferred centre-backs although Hoedt is a long-term target for Southampton. The 23-year-old Dutch international has been at Lazio since 2015 and is considered as a good reader of the game.

It’s Time We Sign Van Dijk!

Klopp singled out the need to strengthen the centre-back position, and Van Dijk was one of the first targets for us this summer. It was really unfortunate that Southampton reported our approach as “tapping up” leaving the Anfield chiefs frustrated.

Van Dijk comes with a lot of experience, having made 55 appearances for the Saints after joining from Celtic in 2015. He was one of the most consistent defenders in the Premier League in the last couple of seasons.

Transfer fees could be a stumbling block as Southampton are demanding £60million for the player. But now that the player is willing to force the deal, the Saints should accept a practical number.

Let’s hope there are no more twists to this tale and that Van Dijk wears the Liverpool Red in the new season.

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