Southampton may be preparing for the sale of Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, which is sure to capture the attentions of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Southampton have adopted a hard approach to the van Dijk situation and expect him to still be at the club when the transfer window closes next week. Meanwhile, they’ve recently completed the signing of Dutch centre back Wesley Hoedt, who is the second centre back brought in this summer.

According to The Telegraph, this may encourage the clubs interested in Van Dijk. Southampton now have five centre-backs who can play in the continued absence of the Dutch international, which could be seen as a sign that they’re preparing for his departure.

Van Dijk handed in a transfer request at Southampton and is unhappy with the way he’s been treated. He still hasn’t trained with the first-team and was fined for not taking part in the club’s friendly matches. Despite this, Southampton expect him to stay at the club.

Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal have been credited with an interest. There’s a feeling that the Gunners could do with signing a central defender, given the delicate state of their current options.

Van Dijk would be costly but is believed to the sort of signing Arsenal need to make to improve the defence.