Chelsea ready part-exchange deal for Virgil van Dijk

Chelsea are reportedly open to the prospect of offering Nathan Ake in a player-plus-cash deal for Southampton's Virgil van Dijk.

The Holland international has emerged as one of the top performing defenders in the Premier League since arriving at St.Mary's from Celtic in the summer of 2015.

According to The Sun, Blues boss Antonio Conte is willing to place Ake as makeweight in a proposed move to sign Van Dijk during the off-season.

Ake had been recalled from his short-term loan at Bournemouth after having impressed during the first-half of the campaign, but it appears that Conte would still entertain thoughts of selling the defender.

Southampton have lost key first-team players to their Premier League rivals in recent seasons, and they could be open to the sale of Van Dijk, should they receive an irresistible offer.

Van Dijk had attracted interest from the Premier League leaders during the winter transfer window but an ankle injury ruled out the possibility of a potential deal.