Antonio Conte admits Chelsea wanted to sign Virgil van Dijk

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has admitted that the Blues were in the running to sign Virgil van Dijk prior to his move to Liverpool from Southampton this month.

Van Dijk was left out of the Saints squad during the final week of December, and shortly after it was confirmed that the Reds had finalised a record £75m for a defender to acquire the Dutchman's services.

Speaking in the lead-up to the League Cup semi-final versus Arsenal, Conte confirmed that Van Dijk was indeed on the Blues' radar, but admits that it is not easy to lure players from their respective clubs.

This is football. This is life For sure he was our target but as you know this is football. We can have a lot of targets but you must be able to reach those targets. The transfer market is not simple for any club," he said.

Van Dijk made an instant impression in the Liverpool shirt as he netted the winner in the 2-1 FA Cup win over Everton last Friday, and the fans will expect something similar when the Reds host Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend.