Several outlets have reported the meeting held between the Arsenal chiefs and van Dijk’s agent over a potential move to the Emirates.
Van Dijk has had a topsy-turvy transfer window so far. A transfer target for Liverpool for most of this transfer window, he has now emerged as Arsenal’s priority signing before the window closes. Liverpool’s pursuit of the player ended in embarrassment as they had to publicly apologize for their part in trying to ‘tap-up’ the player. Virgil van Dijk was also vocal in his interests which was evidently away from Southampton.
Southampton manager Pellegrino has spoken about his desire to keep van Dijk in his squad for the next season as he faces the brunt of the Premier League for the very first time. Van Dijk was even reported to have been undergoing training sessions with the U23s in a bid to regain match fitness.
Pellegrino has signed defender Wesley Hoedt but remains tight lipped over the future of the Dutch international.
Arsene Wenger and Arsenal have emerged as frontrunners to sign the defender, after having seen his side get off to a shaky start to the Premier League season, conceding 4 goals in the opening two games. Wenger has experimented with his backline and seems to be out in the market for a sturdy central defender.
Should van Dijk make a move to Arsenal, he can fit right into the 3-4-3 formation as a RCB. His ball playing skills come as an added advantage to his physical abilities. This news might come as a relief to the fans as they’ve seen lacklustre performances at the back regularly, undoing the attacking efforts in the process. They just got over the line against Leicester City, thanks to some late heroics by Giroud and fell flat against Stoke. Defensive errors are causing Arsenal a lot of problems and maybe they’re one signing away from solving their defensive issues.
Virgil van Dijk will prove to be a tough nut to crack, as Southampton are not willing to listen to any offers below £75 million. Considering the extent of financial inactivity at Arsenal for any price above £50 million, this deal would be a hard one to broker.
With transfers hard to come by in the transfer window, Wenger needs to act fast and bring in at least one signing to help strengthen his squad depth.
Given the PL experience, van Dijk will be a decent buy. Though the transfer fees are a bit on the high side, Arsenal can negotiate a deal as Southampton look comfortable with negotiating with Arsenal, than with Liverpool.
