Liverpool have renewed hopes of signing Virgil Van Dijk from Southampton.
The Dutch defender has been linked with £60m move to Anfield since last season.
The move looked to off after Southampton reported Liverpool for an illegal approach earlier in the summer. Relations between Van Dijk and Southampton are believed to be frosty after the defender accused the club of “insulting” him. Reports suggested he was refusing to train with the first team squad.
Yet, Liverpool have renewed hope of signing Van Dijk, after Southampton made a £17m move for Lazio defender Wesley Hoedt.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool will not sign any other defender, should the move for Van Dijk fail again.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will have noted Lazio sporting director Ighli Tare claims that Hoedt has been guaranteed regular first-team football by Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino.
Van Dijk has not appeared for Southampton since January after suffering an ankle injury which ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
The 26-year-old has been training with the Under-23s throughout pre-season.
Van Dijk has made 55 Premier League appearances for Southampton, scoring four times since his arrival from Scottish giants Celtic in 2015.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s side are unbeaten to date, with a 0-0 draw at home to Swansea backed up by a dramatic 3-2 win over 10-man West Ham at the weekend.