Chelsea prepare £50m offer for Premier League defender

Reigning champions Chelsea are weighing up a £50m bid for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk after the Dutchman handed in a transfer request last week.

The Netherlands international has been desperate to leave the Saints for Liverpool this summer, but the move does not look like happening with the Reds having cooled their interest.

Van Dijk had verbally agreed terms with the Merseyside outfit back in June, but the Reds dropped their pursuit few days later after the Saints lodged an official complaint to the Premier League over an illegal approach.

According to The Mirror, the Blues are looking to take advantage of the player's uncertainty at St.Mary's, and they are prepared to make a £50m bid this week in order to pursue his signature.

Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill have been the main players in the Blues backline, but behind them, there is not much Premier League experience.

Club graduate Andreas Christensen and summer signing Antonio Rudiger are both fairly new in the Blues setup, and this could hamper their title defence in the early stages of the campaign.

Victor Moses will return to right wing-back for the trip to Tottenham Hotspur, but the Blues will have to play one of Rudiger or Christensen in their three-man defence following Cahill's straight red in the 3-2 opening day defeat to Burnley.