Southampton on the verge of completing £15.5 million deal for Wesley Hoedt

With Dirk Van Dijk's future still uncertain, Southampton have moved quickly to get defensive reinforcements and are on the verge of completing a £15.5 million deal for Lazio defender Wesley Hoedt.

With Van Dijk still itching for a move to Liverpool, Southampton have already prepared for a possible departure with the imminent arrival of fellow Dutchman Wesley Hoedt. The 23-year-old has made over 40 appearances for Lazio over two seasons despite his young age, having arrived for free from AZ Alkmaar. 

He earned plaudits last season, making an average of six defensive actions per game, winning 60 percent of his duels and having an 87 percent passing accuracy. The youngster also made his debut for the Dutch's senior team this year, going on to make four appearances thus far.

Southampton's improved £15.5 million bid seems to have done the job after Italian Paper Il Messaggero reported that Hoedt has already said his farewells to his teammates after agreeing on a £30,000-a-week contract at St. Mary's, with the official announcement expected to be released by the end of the week. 

While Southampton have reiterated time and time again that they will not be selling Virgil Van Dijk, many still expect him to go, especially if Liverpool use the transfer money from Coutinho's potential move to Barcelona to lodge a huge bid for the defender. Hoedt is an immensely talented defender that is becoming an established international and would be expected to easily adapt to the Premier League.