Manchester City are set to use their hefty financial clout to beat Liverpool to one of their top targets this summer.
According to The Times, Pep Guardiola will bid £50 million for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk has impressed since he moved to the Premier League from Celtic in 2015 and has long been touted to move to a club competing in the Champions League.
Liverpool fans will not be happy to hear the recent update about van Dijk, considering how he has been heavily linked with a transfer to Anfield in recent months.
If the move is to materialise at the reported price, van Dijk will surpass John Stones as the league’s most expensive defender after he moved to the Etihad last summer for £47.5m.
Manchester City have long struggled for consistency at the back with Stones and fellow centre-half Nicolás Otamendi often falling under criticism for their performances and club captain Vincent Kompany regularly missing out through injury.
After finishing third in the Premier League, last season was Pep Guardiola’s first campaign that ended trophyless.
Guardiola has been given the task of winning the Champions League and Premier League by Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, a daunting challenge but one that will be backed by significant investment in personnel.
Al Mubarak told the club’s official website:
“We will try to win the Premier League and the Champions League and that remains our objective.
“It excites me trying to win the Champions League and winning the Champions League.
“That ambition of winning the Champions League and hopefully doing it, that dream excites me very day and knowing we can do it.
“The dream of doing the treble, yes. I want to do the treble, or else let’s go for the quadruple! Why not?”
Reports suggest that Guardiola has been given a £300m war chest to fund the attempt at reaching the above targets and he’s not wasted any time, with the transfer kitty seemingly burning a hole in his deep pockets.
City have already secured the signing of midfielder Bernardo Silva from Monaco for £43.6m and the club also look set to sign Benfica goalkeeper Ederson for £34.7m, making him the most expensive goalkeeper in history.
