Liverpool Agree £75m Fee With Southampton for Long Term Target Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool have reportedly had an astonishing £75m bid accepted by Southampton for wantaway centre-back Virgil van Dijk.

Despite a breakdown in discussions over the summer following tapping up allegations from the selling club, rumours persisted around the possible move to Anfield that van Dijk would eventually happen - be it in the coming summer, or January.

Well now, it appears that the Dutchman's long desired St Mary's exit will come in the latter - according to a report in the Telegraph. The newspaper claims that a deal has been struck between the two teams that would make van Dijk the world's most expensive defender.

The Reds have been said to have spent the last few weeks discreetly negotiating a fee with Southampton, and while both Chelsea and Manchester City have lodged enquiries into his availability since the summer window slammed shut - it appears that only an outrageous last minute bid will stop the 26-year-old moving to Merseyside.

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It is believed that van Dijk will sign a deal with the Reds that will see him earn £180,000 per week, and is desperate to get working under Jurgen Klopp. In fact, the report claims that a deal could even be fully agreed before the official opening of the transfer window on Monday - with talks progressing massively over the last few days.

Should the deal go through, Van Dijk will become the joint second most expensive player in Premier League history - equalling the cost of Manchester United's Romelu Lukau, and falling short behind Paul Pogba's £90m transfer fee from Juventus to United in the summer of 2016.