According to reports from The Independent, Chelsea believe Liverpool and Manchester City transfer target Virgil van Dijk favours a summer move to Stamford Bridge.

What’s the word?

Since moving to Southampton from Celtic two summers ago, Virgil van Dijk has consistently impressed, offering a unique mix of physicality and ball-playing quality, and during the first half of 2016/17, until a season-ending tackle from Jamie Vardy, his form was arguably the most impressive of any centre-back in the Premier League.

Saints have developed an unfortunate reputation of surrendering their key players to the division’s biggest clubs – albeit, picking up some hefty profits in the process – and inevitably, the Netherlands international seems pretty certain to move on this summer.

The Independent claim Liverpool and Manchester City are both interested in signing van Dijk, but there is a growing belief in west London that the 25-year-old would prefer a summer move to Stamford Bridge.

Why do Chelsea want more defenders?

At first glance, Antonio Conte is pretty well-endowed when it comes to centre-halves, with a wide variety of options to choose from – not to mention the highly-rated Andreas Christensen returning from his affluent loan spell in the Bundesliga this summer. But John Terry will leave the club when his contract expires and Conte’s 3-4-3 system requires plenty of depth in that department. Likewise, if the Italian is to push his side up a level for next season’s title defence, they need centre-backs ideally suited to a back three.

That’s where Van Dijk comes into the equation; famed for his ability to build attacks from deep positions, roam forward and occasionally score goals, he seems perfect for Chelsea’s defensive setup. He’s pretty handy on his left foot as well, which relates to comments Jamie Carragher made earlier this week about Gary Cahill being a weak link at left centre-back because he’s naturally right-footed. Van Dijk would be an impressive addition regardless, but he could well be the defender that pushes Chelsea’s 3-4-3 system up a gear.