According to the latest transfer gossip reports, Chelsea have added Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk to their list of transfer targets.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is determined to sign a centre-half in January and has apparently identified the Dutchman as a potential acquisition.
Van Dijk has a £25million release clause in his contract, which is well within the reach of Chelsea, however, they will face competition for the 25-year-old’s signature.
Manchester United, Everton and Liverpool are also said to be interested in signing Van Dijk.
Any new defensive signing will not immediately effect John Terry’s future at Stamford Bridge, as Conte has decided to wait until the end of the season before making a decision on the former England captain.
However, there is no guarantee that Van Dijk would want to move to West London, the way the Chelsea defence is playing at the moment, he may struggle to get into the team and the idea of being a bench warmer may not be too attractive.
What is certain though, is that Southampton will have a difficult time hanging on to their star defender with so many top clubs reportedly interested in signing him.