Chelsea round-up: Van Dijk deal possible; move for another Southampton man; Atletico prepared to wait for Costa

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Chelsea could be in for a boost in their pursuit of Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk as Yahoo Sport report that Southampton will refuse to enter into talks to sell him to Liverpool. The Saints would instead prefer to allow him to leave to join Chelsea or Manchester City and would consider bids in the region of £70 million.

That could put the Blues in a good position to sign the Dutchman, even if the asking price is likely to be high than expected. Roman Abramovich will be confident that his negotiation skills would be able to get a lower price, particularly given that the defender has submitted a formal transfer request.

He may not be the only man heading from Southampton to west London either as Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport say that Chelsea are considering a £13.6 million bid for right-back Cedric Soares. The Portugal international has been another key part of the Saints’ defence over the past few seasons.

Soares may be an ideal candidate to compete with the likes of Victor Moses in the right-wing-back role and would also bring some much needed Premier League experience. Compared to many of the other players linked, that may put him ahead in Antonio Conte’s eyes.

In less positive news, Spanish radio station Cadena SER say that Atletico Madrid could be prepared to wait to sign striker Diego Costa. At present, there is a stark difference in valuation with the Spanish side prepared to pay €38 million (£34.7 million) whilst Chelsea are demanding €65 million (£59.3 million).

That is a high price to ask for a player who has publicly made it clear that he will never play for the first team again. With his high wages and Atletico under a transfer ban until January, they may hope that Costa is determined enough to forego half a season of action in order to force through a return to Madrid.