Italian side Lazio have confirmed that their 23-year-old defender Wesley Hoedt has asked to leave the club and he is all set to join Mauricio Pellegrino’s Southampton in coming days. The talks have been in the air since last week and Sky has reported that although Southampton offered an initial £15.5m for the 23-year-old centre-back, a final deal worth £17m has been agreed upon between the two clubs.
“He requested to be transferred,” Lazio sporting director Igli Tare told Premium Sport. “He wants to be a starter in England and will be transferred to Southampton in the near future. He has had a positive experience here in Rome. I wish him all the best.”
Ronald Koeman’s Everton too were credited with an interest as the Dutchman was looking at his national compatriot – Hoedt – as a replacement of the long-term injury absentee Ramiro Funes Mori. It was also quoted that Koeman had extensively scouted four-time capped Netherlands international, but it seems like his efforts have gone down the drain.
Hoedt’s transfer to the St. Mary’s has now fueled up Virgil van Dijk’s exit from the club. It has been made clear, by Van Dijk himself that he intends to leave the club, by handing in an official transfer request, but Southampton, on their part, are doing everything in their power to keep hold of the defender. Following van Dijk’s request, he was made to train alone and was omitted from the team’s pre-season tour. He was also dismissed from the Premier League fixtures. All this has seen him get linked with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, but Liverpool remain the firm favourites to acquire his signature.
Although Jurgen Klopp has claimed that he does not need any new defender, former Red and current Under-18s coach Steven Gerrard has quoted that van Dijk is now a necessity for the team and feels that if Liverpool are to achieve anything positive this season, they need at least two or three more signings.
“Yes [he is a necessity],” he told BT Sport of the £60m-rated defender, per the Liverpool Echo. “For me, if you want to compete in the league and in the Champions League [Van Dijk is needed]. It’s been well documented that we need two or three signings in.”
Exciting times ahead!
