Virgil van Dijk spotted training with Southampton: Chelsea hatch plan to hijack Liverpool

VIRGIL VAN DIJK has been spotted in training with Southampton - as Chelsea hatch a plan to beat Liverpool to his signing.

Virgil van DijkTWITTER

Virgil van Dijk appears to be back in training with Southampton

Van Dijk has been pictured in training with Southampton’s under-23s despite handing in a transfer request at the club.

Liverpool were forced to apologise for their pursuit of the Holland international earlier this summer but remain interested.

But The Telegraph say Chelsea are willing to wait for Van Dijk with Southampton refusing to sell.

Express Sport understands Antonio Conte is plotting a late £200million spending spree on Saints trio Van Dijk, Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares as well as Arsenal ace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Leicester man Danny Drinkwater.

But Saints have remained insistant that Van Dijk is going nowhere despite missing their first two games of the season.

And The Telegraph say while Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia has set up a number of meetings with clubs over deals they are holding off on Van Dijk.

It is claimed Chelsea will only bid for the 26-year-old if they are given the green light from Southampton to do so.

It is hoped this approach will allow them to be first in line to potentially sign Van Dijk if and when Saints’ stance changes.

Southampton were furious over Liverpool’s tapping up of their captain and Chelsea are hoping to capitalise on the bad blood between the two clubs.

But while Conte is desperate for new signings, he has already added centre-back Antonio Rudiger to his current options of David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen.

Christensen played alongside Azpilicueta and Rudiger in Conte’s back three for Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Tottenham yesterday, with Luiz in midfield and Cahill suspended.

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