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According to reports in the London Evening Standard, Liverpool are ready to rival Chelsea for the signing of Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk this summer.

Prior to an injury the Dutchman suffered against Leicester City in January – which has seen him on the sidelines since – he was establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

Comfortable with the ball at his feet and strong in the air, the 25-year-old already looks as though he would slot in to any of the defences at the top clubs in Europe, but Reds boss Jurgen Klopp could be ready to make the first move as he looks to strengthen his shaky backline.

As he still has five years left to run on his Saints contract, Van Dijk won’t come on the cheap and the south coast outfit could demand more than £50m to secure his services at the end of the season.

Here are THREE reasons a move to Merseyside would be the wrong one for Van Dijk…

He can do better

To put it simply, Van Dijk has the talent to secure a move to a better club than Liverpool, with all due respect.

If the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona were looking for a centre-back this summer – and the latter certainly might be – they would do a lot worse than to take a close look at the impressive Dutchman.

The 25-year-old will surely also have plenty of other options in the Premier League too, and the chance to go to the likely champions – Chelsea – or work under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City could be too good to turn down.

Trophies

The likes of Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Sadio Mane and Nathaniel Clyne have made the move to Liverpool from Southampton in recent years as they felt the Merseyside club was more likely to challenge for titles and trophies.

While St Mary’s certainly isn’t a place to do that, it doesn’t appear Anfield is either with all of the aforementioned stars yet to win anything during their time with the Reds – which looks set to be the case again this term – while qualification for the Champions League certainly isn’t a guarantee either.

He would be more exposed

While Van Dijk is undoubtedly an excellent defender, he has certainly been helped out a little since he joined Southampton by the shielding he has received from the likes of Victor Wanyama and now Oriol Romeu in front of the back four.

With Liverpool often not looking set up well from a defensive point of view, it could leave the Dutchman exposed on more occasions – as Dejan Lovren found out when he moved to Anfield.

The Saints centre-back would be much more secure at Chelsea for example, where he would have the excellent N’Golo Kante deployed in front of him.

Do you agree, Saints and Liverpool fans? Let us know below.

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Bundesliga clubs seem to have a thing with setting foolishly low release clauses. The latest to suffer from this are Borussia Monchengladbach as they lost Mahmoud Dahoud to Borussia Dortmund just last week for a measly fee of just over £10 million.

Dortmund have built a squad to leave any opposition quaking in their boots. Led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, they have compiled an array of the world’s best young players. From Julian Weigl and Ousmane Dembele to Christian Pulisic and Emre Mor, they are either going to have the best squad in the world by 2020 or they will have made an enormous amount of revenue from player sales.

At only 21, Dahoud only bolsters Thomas Tuchel’s group. A central midfielder who can impact a match in any area of the pitch, Dahoud was touted with a move to the Premier League for several months. Manchester City and Liverpool were frequently linked to the midfielder, but Dortmund moved swiftly to secure his signature before the window has opened.

With Liverpool lacking depth and City set to lose Yaya Toure and probably Fernando, Dahoud was an obvious target. His age, his consistency of performance and experience in the intensity of the Bundesliga made him a perfect Premier League signing. The price only added to the temptation for the clubs.

Now they are left with a target snatched by another European giant before we have even hit May. Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are both set for significant summer windows, windows that could define their respective debut Premier League tenures.

Dahoud did not exactly slip through their fingers, but it is always frustrating to see a player who would fit the bill quite so well move to another club for a minimal fee. Players of a similar quality, age and experience to Dahoud to do not come along too often, but if they do the fee will be four or five times what Dortmund paid to Monchengladbach.

Aside from a predictable raid on Monaco, other players who have performed in European competition, a major league and shown adaptability in their role are almost non-existent. Dahoud could have become anything Guardiola needed, from a six to a ten. Under Klopp he would have taken some of the pressure off of Georginio Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana. Dortmund should be even stronger next season thanks to this signing, but that is hardly consolation for City and Liverpool who are left wondering where to look.

City are rumoured to be in for Fabinho, while Liverpool will be linked with half of Europe before the window is out. The real setback, though, is that no player will be bought at the same value as Dahoud. They will either compromise on potential or quality if they look to spend a similar amount or have to cough up a much larger portion of their budget.

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Newcastle United play host to Leeds United at St James’ Park on Good Friday, in what is a highly-anticipated Championship clash.

The hosts know that they can move a step closer to securing automatic promotion back to the Premier League just a year after they suffered relegation.

The Magpies suffered a slight setback last weekend when they were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, but they are still 10 points clear of third-placed Huddersfield Town with the Terriers have just six fixtures left to try and catch them.

Meanwhile, Garry Monk’s men returned to winning ways with a comprehensive 3-0 victory against play-off hopefuls Preston North End at Elland Road last Saturday, which has left them in fifth position and five points above seventh-placed Fulham.

Both sides have shown their quality throughout the campaign in England’s second tier, and have players that can prove to be the difference in a match.

Here are five key battles that could decide where the points go…

Rafa Benitez vs Garry Monk

Both of these managers have proven themselves at Premier League level and they are undoubtedly two of the best in the Championship.

Leeds came into the corresponding fixture in November on the back of a three-match winning streak, but it was Benitez’s side who took all three points as Dwight Gayle’s brace gave them a 2-0 win.

Monk will certainly be out to get some revenge over that result on Good Friday, to help his side further cement their spot in the top six.

Jamaal Lascelles vs Chris Wood

Wood has proven that he is one of the best players at this level after a fine season with Leeds, in which he has scored 24 Championship goals, which makes him the top marksman in the division.

The 25-year-old picked up a slight injury while on international duty with New Zealand last month, and he has failed to score in his three league appearances since he returned to England.

He is still a huge threat though, and Magpies captain Lascelles will know that he will need to be at his best to stop the prolific goalscorer.

Aleksandar Mitrovic vs Pontus Jansson

With the Magpies’ top goalscorer – and Chris Wood’s biggest competition in the race to win the Championship Golden Boot – Dwight Gayle set to miss the clash after picking up a hamstring problem in the defeat to Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, Mitrovic could step in.

Daryl Murphy replaced Gayle in the 29th minute at Hillsborough but after impressing when he came off of the substitutes’ bench late on, the Serbian could get the nod at St James’ Park.

If he does it will be a fascinating battle against Whites defender Jansson, who has quickly established himself as one of the best and most committed centre-backs in the division this term.

Matt Ritchie vs Gaetano Berardi

Ritchie has been one of the most consistent performers for Newcastle this season following his move to St James’ Park from Bournemouth last summer.

The 27-year-old has helped ease the pressure on Dwight Gayle to score the goals by netting 11 Championship goals – including two in his last three – and he will be a huge threat on the right-hand side.

However, he will come up against Berardi who has become a regular in Garry Monk’s side in recent months, with his fine performances keeping Charlie Taylor on the substitutes’ bench.

Jonjo Shelvey vs Pablo Hernandez

One of the most intriguing battles on Good Friday could come between Hernandez and Shelvey in the middle of the park.

The former has been impressing in a free role in recent weeks and loves a nutmeg, while the latter is continuing to show how good he can be from both a defensive and offensive point of view after scoring the Magpies’ goal in their 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

Monk knows Shelvey well having managed the midfielder during the duo’s time with Swansea, and he will know all about the range of passing that he has in his locker, as well as his sometimes questionable temperament – the 25-year-old has picked up seven yellows and one red this term.

The North London Derby is always a special occasion, one of the highlights of the English football calendar and that’s never more true than today when Arsenal travel to White Hart Lane to face Spurs. Today’s match carries more significance than many in recent years with Mauricio Pochettino’s men shooting for a historic English Premier League title win.

The task of Arsene Wenger and his side is to stop that, by any means necessary and fans know that if the Gunners can win today, it could all but end Spurs’ ambitions this season.

Arsenal fans are worried though. Spurs have been superb this season, destroying most sides with ease and if they turn up motivated this afternoon it could be a long 90 minutes for the away support.

It’s all set to be a cracker and while there is always hope, especially on derby day, it’s fair to say that many Gunners supporters are fearing the worst.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts ahead of kick-off…

West Ham United midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate took to Twitter after undergoing wrist surgery, and fans have been quick to wish him a speedy recovery.

The 27-year-old was booked in for the operation after the club cemented their Premier League status for next season with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur last Friday.

Kouyate has been struggling with the injury all season, but he has managed to compete in 36 games in all competitions.

Such was the 27-year-old’s importance to manager Slaven Bilic, he was forced to play through the pain but now that the Hammers are safe, he has gone under the knife to rectify the problem.

This means, though, that Kouyate will not be available for the final two games of the season – at home to Liverpool and away to Burnley.

He tweeted an update on his situation, conveying a positive message as he begins the early stages of recovery.

Even though Kouyate will be absent from the final two fixtures of the campaign, supporters seem more concerned about the Senegal international making a full recovery in time for next season.

Celtic became the first Scottish side for 118 years to go an entire league season unbeaten on Sunday with a comfortable win over Hearts at Celtic Park.

Funnily enough, it all started against the same team. Back when Brendan Rodgers had yet to prove himself as a Celtic manager they faced off against the Jam Tarts at Tynecastle, kickstarting this incredible domestic run.

The Hoops have breezed through most of the opposition but it hasn’t gone all their own way in every match. There have been occasions when they’ve had to dig deep and find a winning spirit within themselves.

As they bask in the glory of becoming invincible, here are the FIVE biggest moments on their way to the incredible unbeaten season…

August 7th – Hearts 1-2 Celtic

As we mentioned, it all started at Hearts and in hindsight this was actually one of their toughest challenges of the entire campaign. Robbie Neilson’s side were eager to prove that they were up there with the likes of Aberdeen and Rangers this season and put in a committed performance in front of their home fans.

It seems funny to think of now but this is a match Hearts could have won, thereby ending the unbeaten league season before it even began.

It wasn’t until a debuting Scott Sinclair, who would go on to be arguably the most important Celtic player this season, netted a late winner that the points were secure. It would be the first step on a journey that some fans are calling the greatest season they’ve ever seen.

September 10th – Celtic 5-1 Rangers

Rangers arrived at Celtic Park in September in bullish mood. Having been promoted from the Scottish Championship, Mark Warburton’s side were actually gaining a bit of hype about them after the acquisitions of Joey Barton, Niko Krancjar and Philippe Senderos. Could the Light Blues possibly challenge Celtic having just been promoted? It’s a question that for Celtic fans seemed silly at the time and for the rest of Scottish football silly now.

The Hoops were in no mood to play around and put the Gers to the sword across the 90 minutes, surging to a 5-1 win thanks to Moussa Dembele who, with a hat-trick, made himself a Celtic icon forever more.

It was the first hat-trick in a match between the two sides since the 1970s and sent out an important marker that no-one was even going to get close to Brendan Rodgers’ side this season.

December 3rd – Motherwell 3-4 Celtic

By December, people were starting to whisper in hushed tones about the possibility of going of the entire season undefeated in domestic competition but it all threatened to come off the rails away to Motherwell at the start of that month.

A Louis Moult double put the Steelmen 2-0 up heading into the break and only a momentous comeback would salvage something for the Bhoys.

Callum McGregor pulled one back shortly after half-time before Patrick Roberts also netted. At 2-2, it looked like there would only be one winner before Lionel Ainsworth put ‘Well ahead yet again. Celtic showed incredible desire and scored in the 72nd and then the 90th minute to secure an unlikely win.

Fans leaving the stadium that day say this was the moment they felt invincible, that no team would be able to beat the Hoops this season.

December 31st – Rangers 1-2 Celtic

Despite taking care of Rangers easily at Celtic Park in September, then knocking them out at Hampden in the Scottish League Cups semi-final, there were still a few question marks about whether or not the Hoops could travel to Ibrox and come away unscathed.

If the first 25 minutes were anything to go by, those question marks were justified with Rangers going ahead 1-0 and looking like they could score more. Again, with their unbeaten record on the line, the Hoops had to dig deep and produce a comeback.

Moussa Dembele proved to be Rangers’ nemesis again with a rocket finish before Scott Sinclair capped off a flowing Celtic move to make it 2-1 and give the Hoops a massive Hogmanay victory at the home of their greatest rivals.

It not only preserved the unbeaten streak but also all but ended any hope that Rangers had of challenging for the league title. It was a memorable day for supporters, only to be bettered when the Hoops travelled to Ibrox again in April and blitzed a demoralised Rangers 5-1 in their own backyard.

February 5th – St Johnstone 2-5 Celtic

Celtic haven’t gone behind in matches many times this season, especially domestically, but St Johnstone are another of the teams who threatened to be the ones to finally end what was an ever-growing unbeaten domestic streak in February.

Having gone ahead in the game it looked like another routine for Brendan Rodgers’ side but a Keith Watson effort and a Dedryck Boyata own goal put Saints ahead 2-1. With an hour played it looked like it could be a frustrating off day for the champions.

Step forward Moussa Dembele who came off the bench to put in a masterclass and score an outstanding hat-trick in the last half an hour of the match.

Eventually the match finished 5-2 and like at Fir Park, like at Ibrox, the Hoops showed they were invincible.

According to Sky Sports, Arsenal are leading a number of Premier League clubs in the race to sign in demand Eupen forward Henry Onyekuru this summer.

The 19-year-old has become a target for sides all across Europe after scoring 24 goals in all competitions for the Belgian outfit this term, including 10 in his last 10 appearances, but the Nigerian – who has a release clause of £6.8m in his contract – is said to favour a move to England.

Southampton are among the other interested parties as they look to strengthen their squad this summer in order to qualify for Europa League football again next season following an eighth-place finish this term.

The south coast outfit will certainly feel that St Mary’s would be a better destination for the young attacker rather than linking up with Arsene Wenger at the Emirates.

Here are three reasons Southampton hold the advantage over Arsenal in the race to sign Onyekuru…

Their reputation with young players

While a move to Arsenal may be a dream one for Onyekuru, if he is thinking about a more gradual progression in his career then he would be mad not to be considering a move to Southampton.

The south coast outfit have become renowned in recent years for giving young players opportunities and developing them –James Ward-Prowse and Jack Stephens  this season for example – and the same could happen for the Nigerian forward if he chose to join Saints.

First team football

Again, while a transfer to the Emirates would clearly be a desirable one for Onyekuru, would he get the first team chances he needs to develop his game at Arsenal?

Competing with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck would be no easy task for the 19-year-old and he would certainly stand more of a chance of being a regular in the side if he moved to Southampton instead.

Playing football is vital for a young player and he won’t want to be another one that ends up in the reserves, out on loan or even on the scrapheap.

Proving himself before a move

If Onyekuru does move to Southampton, then history suggests the club will give him a supportive platform to perform on and won’t stand in his way if a bigger team come calling in the future.

The Nigerian will have seen the likes of Sadio Mane and Victor Wanyama secure moves to Liverpool and Tottenham respectively last year after becoming regulars at St Mary’s, and he will know that because of his age he still has time on his side to secure a dream transfer if he impresses on a regular basis.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.

Despite reports on Tuesday suggesting that Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk wanted to join Liverpool this summer, the Reds released a statement on Wednesday they had ended their interest in the Dutchman, much to the delight of Everton fans.

The south coast outfit have become accustomed to seeing their players move to Anfield in recent summers but after reporting the Merseyside outfit to the Premier League over an alleged illegal approach for their captain, Liverpool were quick to apologise.

Toffees boss Ronald Koeman brought the in demand 25-year-old to St Mary’s during his time as manager of the Saints, but it is unclear whether he holds an interest in his fellow countryman this summer.

Everton supporters were quick to have their say on the news via social media, with many understandably delighted and others taking the time to laugh at their arch-rivals.

Some even suggested that they should go all out to sign Van Dijk now just to annoy Reds fans even more.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

West Ham United fans tend to be unhappy with the club’s board at the best of times, but that has intensified over the last few weeks due to the lack of transfer activity.

So far, the Hammers have recruited just one new face, and that was the free transfer of Pablo Zabaleta from Manchester City.

The club are crying out for some firepower up front, and co-chairman David Gold said as much during his interview on talkSPORT.

The Hammers were immediately linked to Jermain Defoe when his club Sunderland were relegated from the Premier League.

There were no solid reports that the club were intending to make a move, but due to the striker’s previous spell at the East London outfit, rumours surfaced.

As well as Defoe, Chelsea defender Nathan Ake was linked to the Hammers, with The Telegraph reporting that they were considering making a move.

However, it was confirmed today that the Dutchman has joined Bournemouth on a long-term contract for a club-record fee.

The news comes one day after the Cherries also nabbed Defoe, who scored 15 league goals for Sunderland last season.

West Ham fans have been airing their frustrations on social media.

According to The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur are prepared to bide their time before moving for Everton midfielder Ross Barkley in the latter stages of this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

Barkley is widely expected to leave Everton this summer after refusing to sign a new contract at Goodison Park.

The 23-year-old came through the youth system with the Toffees, and has made 179 appearances in all competitions since making his debut during the 2011-12 campaign.

The England international will see his current deal expire at the end of next season, however, and Everton boss Ronald Koeman has already stated that he will sell Barkley this summer rather than risk losing the midfielder on a free transfer at the end of next season.

Talk of Tottenham being interested in the playmaker has quietened in recent weeks, but according to The Mirror, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is still interested in making a move.

The same report claims that Pochettino’s desire to bide his time is down to the fact that the Spaniard is not prepared to meet Everton’s current asking price, which stands at £25m.

Would Barkley fit Spurs?

Much of Tottenham’s success over the last couple of seasons has been built on a high-pressing style under Pochettino, which relies on two defensive midfielders.

It would be fair to say that Barkley is not disciplined enough to operate as a holding midfielder, but a 4-2-3-1 formation does open up a number 10 position behind the centre-forward – Harry Kane.

The form of Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen last season have made those two almost undroppable, but there does seem to be a space available in Pochettino’s front four, which Barkley could be given the chance to nail-down during the 2017-18 campaign.

For all of the criticism aimed at Barkley, the Englishman has managed 18 goals over the last two seasons at Everton, whilst he registered eight assists in 36 Premier League appearances last term.

It remains to be seen whether Pochettino views Barkley as a player that could improve Tottenham’s first XI, but waiting for the midfielder, and potentially knocking £10m+ off his asking price, seems a smart move from last season’s runners-up in the Premier League.