Manchester City could step up their interest in Southampton ace Virgil van Dijk in January if they continue to fall short in defence, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Other than the arrival of Gabriel Jesus from Palmeiras, who signed in the summer, Pep Guardiola’s side would ideally not like to make any rash signings in the January transfer window and wait until the end of the season before assessing their squad.
However, defensive mistakes continue to underpin progress under Guardiola and the Spaniard is ready to make ruthless decisions to keep his side on course, with Southampton centre-back, Van Dijk, at the top of the list should they look to strengthen defensively in January.
The Netherlands international has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League since joining Southampton from Celtic in 2015 and would not be short of suitors should he become available for transfer, with Chelsea and Manchester United also reported to be interested in his services.
Southampton manager Claude Puel has denied the 25-year-old has a £25m release clause and the south coast side have reportedly put a 40m price tag over his head.
Since the start of last season no player has been awarded the WhoScored Man of the Match in the Premier League more times than Van Dijk (10).
For more stats on Virgil Van Dijk, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
