Manchester City and Chelsea target now has stunning £70m valuation

Southampton have used interest from a number of the biggest clubs in the Premier League to increase their asking price for Virgil van Dijk’s from £50m to a staggering £70m, reports The Daily Mirror.

Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City are all reportedly battling for Van Dijk’s signature this summer after earmarking the Netherlands international as the best centre-back currently on the market to help bolster their backlines.

Van Dijk hasn’t featured since January after suffering ankle ligament damage against Leicester but is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the Premier League and suitors will now be required to shatter the record sum paid for a defender.

Paris Saint-Germain currently hold the record after paying Chelsea £50m to sign David Luiz in 2014 and not only are Southampton determined to break that record, they now want to make Van Dijk the fifth most expensive player of all-time.

Reports had emerged suggesting City were willing to match Southampton’s previous £50m valuation but Claude Puel’s side are now looking to take advantage of the huge interest surrounding Van Dijk by getting even more money.

Despite missing the last four months of the season, only seven players have won the WhoScored Man of the Match award more times in the Premier League over the last two seasons than the 25-year-old (10).

For more stats on Virgil van Dijk, click here to visit his WhoScored player page