Chelsea and Liverpool target Virgil van Dijk has not featured for Southampton since January

Southampton face a battle to keep hold of their captain ahead of next Thursday’s deadline.

The Saints remain adamant the Dutchman will not be sold, despite the signing of defender Wesley Hoedt from Lazio.

But Liverpool and Chelsea are in the hunt as Van Dijk continues to push for a move.

Anfield is his preferred destination, and it seems a move to the Emirates is not on the cards for this summer.

Football London claim another defender is not a priority for Wenger in the current transfer window.

Left-back Saed Kolasinac has arrived for free from Schalke.

However, it appears the Gunners boss is satisfied with his other options in the middle of his backline.

Gabriel Paulista has been sold by Arsenal to Valencia for around £10million, although a replacement is not in the offing.

Wenger still has Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding and Calum Chambers at his disposal.

And while Football London say the Arsenal manager likes Van Dijk, they won’t enter a bidding war with title rivals Chelsea and Liverpool.

A £70m offer could yet be enough to convince Southampton to sell with Van Dijk desperate to move on.

It remains to be seen if Liverpool or Chelsea will prove successful in their pursuits.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will apparently prioritise strengthening in defence next year.

Mertesacker will hang up his boots, while Koscielny will be turning 33 in September 2018.