Manchester City won't overpay for Premier League centre-back

Manchester City are unlikely to be held to ransom for the services of Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk. The Netherlands international has been strongly tipped to pursue a fresh challenge next month, having failed to seal his preferred move to Liverpool last summer.

The Citizens found themselves short at the back at the start of the month after both Vincent Kompany and John Stones found themselves on the sidelines.

However, their situation has improved since with the pair returning to full fitness to compete with Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala for the central defensive positions.

According to The Manchester Evening News, Van Dijk remains a prime candidate for Pep Guardiola as he looks to bolster the backline further, but he is unlikely to pay anything more than £60m to do business in January.

Despite the speculation, Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino has stressed that he wants to keep hold of the Netherlands international with the club aiming to stay clear of the drop zone.