Virgil van Dijk could join this club in the summer

Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk could favour a move to Chelsea ahead of Manchester City during the summer transfer window.

The Netherlands international is currently nursing an ankle problem picked during the 3-0 over Leicester City in January, and this could rule him out for the remainder of the season.

Van Dijk's future has been the subject of speculation since the turn of the year, and it appears that both Chelsea and Manchester City will lodge respective bids in upwards of £50m for the central defender in the summer.

However, The Mail suggests that Van Dijk could prefer a switch to the Blues over the Citizens when the transfer window reopens in July.

The former Celtic man is willing to relocate to London over the North West, where the weather is not so great, and this puts the Blues in the front seat to sign the Dutch footballer.

Van Dijk, 25, has appeared in over 60 games for the South Coast outfit since arriving from Parkhead for £13m in the summer of 2015.