Chelsea swoop for defender gives Reds free run at van Dijk

Chelsea have agreed a deal worth £30.7million plus £3.5m in add-ons for Roma central defender Antonio Rudiger, as per Simon Jones and Sami Mokbel of the Mail.

The report claims that the German is in discussions with the Premier League Champions after Antonio Conte was left frustrated in his attempts to sign Virgil van Dijk and Leonardo Bonucci.
The below video discusses how this affects Liverpool, who remain keen to sign the Southampton and Netherlands star.

The Reds escaped any consequences after Southampton complained to the Premier League regarding tapping up, as reported by the Guardian last week.
James Pearce from the Echo also wrote that van Dijk has his heart set on a move to Anfield – so there is still potential for the former Celtic man to become Liverpool’s most expensive defensive signing of all time before the transfer window shuts.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have been linked with another left-back today, with Mercato365 in France claiming that the Brazilian, Dalbert, is a target. The 23-year-old played 38 times for Nice last season and could replace Alberto Moreno on Merseyside.