Van Dijk is Klopp’s preferred option at centre half but will not come cheap

Liverpool will go head to head with their Premier League rivals by targeting Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk as part of an ambitious recruitment drive.

The £50 million-rated Southampton centre half is Jürgen Klopp’s first choice for defensive reinforcements, while the club also want to sign Naby Keita, the RB Leipzig midfielder.

Van Dijk has been the subject of interest from England’s top seven sides this season — Arsenal and Everton are the latest to register theirs — and overtures from Europe could yet arrive from Real Madrid.

Keita, left, the Leipzig midfielder, is high on Liverpool’s shopping list ARMANDO BABANI/EPA

Liverpool took an important step towards Champions League football with last week’s victory over Stoke City and Fenway Sports Group, the owner, is prepared to sanction the biggest spending spree in the club’s history.

Klopp recognises the need