Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk is keen to work with Jurgen Klopp and could chose Liverpool over three other Premier League clubs, according to reports.

  • The Dutchman is a target for Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City
  • He could cost up to £50m
  • Champions League football could give Liverpool the edge over Arsenal

The Mirror allege that van Dijk is attracted by the prospect of working with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and becoming a mainstay in Liverpool’s defence.

The Southampton centre-back had an impressive six months at St Mary’s before his season was cut short by injury. He was linked with a big-money move in January.

Arsenal are said to be interested and willing to pay the Dutchman £200,000-per-week to bring him to the Emirates Stadium. However, they face stiff competition from Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, who can all offer Champions League football next season.

And while losing players as a result of having no Champions League football to offer will be a familiar problem for Arsenal this summer, the Gunners do possess a good collection of centre backs. It seems extremely unlikely they would splash £50m on one player.

With four super-rich clubs all intrested in Van Dijk, Southampton will undoubtedly play hard ball to try and squeeze as much money from the sale as possible. Arsenal’s time and money may be better used elsewhere.