Chelsea look set to turn their attention to Southampton’s £70m-rated Virgil van Dijk in their pursuit of a top-class centre-back, although want away Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho could prove a better fit.

Leonardo Bonucci had been their first choice target but, as reported by Standard Sport, Juventus are unwilling to entertain offers, meaning the London club must look elsewhere.

Whilst Van Dijk has certainly impressed in his two seasons at St. Mary’s, this is an eye-watering sum for a player who has little experience in competing for top honours outside of Scotland, with his last Champions League appearance coming for Celtic in 2013.

Chelsea look set to continue next season with the 3-4-3 formation that Antonio Conte implemented so successfully at Stamford Bridge, and the Italian manager is keen to bring in an accomplished ball-playing defender to bolster his backline.

27-year old Sakho, however, has the attributes that could make him a more appropriate target for the Premier League Champions.

Sakho’s exclusion at Anfield is seemingly due to a personal clash with the Jurgen Klopp rather than a question of ability and, although there has been little to suggest that Chelsea have expressed an interest in him, a move for the former Crystal Palace loanee could well be a shrewd one.

Naturally left-sided

Gary Cahill performed with great credit on the left-hand side of Chelsea’s back three last season, yet a left-footed player in that role would give the side better balance in both attack and defence.

The acquisition of Van Diljk would represent more of a like-for-like replacement for Cahill, with the right-footed defender often deployed on the left of Southampton’s defensive two.

Whilst he may not be uncomfortable playing on that side, Van Dijk has never been used in a back-three before, and you have to question the wisdom of shelling out the fourth highest transfer fee for all time for a player who will have to adapt to a new system.

Sakho, on the other hand, is left-footed and certainly boasts the ball playing attributes that Conte desires. With most of his experience also in a four-man defence, his natural desire to open his body on that side would give Chelsea a dimension that they lack with Cahill, or potentially with Van Dijk.

Style of play

A key aspect to Van Dijk’s play is his willingness to carry the ball out from the back in Southampton’s transition from defence to attack. With Chelsea set to sign AS Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko, who provides this drive from a defensive midfield role, the Dutchman would need to be more positionally astute, especially alongside the expansive David Luiz.

​Sakho, on the other hand, is a capable passer of the ball with less the athleticism to cover behind effectively. He is versatile in terms of the role he can play, as shown by his differing statistics for Liverpool in 2015/16 and Crystal Palace last season.

For the possession hungry Liverpool he averaged 51.7 completed passes per 90 minutes, whereas this number dropped to 24.14 for the more defensive minded Palace. Similarly he averaged 0.97 tackles won per game in Liverpool’s high-line, but this dropped to 0.13 as he was utilised in a deeper unit.

Conte is very much a malleable manager, and we saw last season how he is happy to chop and change both formation and strategy during games. Not only would Sakho slip seamlessly into the stock formation, but he also has the physical presence and footballing nous to adapt to Conte’s instructions.

Value for money

Crystal Palace had been quoted £30m in their pursuit for Sakho, who made such an impact for the club in just eight Premier League appearances. They won five of these games and kept four clean sheets in a run which blasted them out of a relegation scrap.

It is likely that Liverpool would demand more from a title-rival for his services, but the sum would still fall a long way short for the £70m quoted for Van Dijk.

Due to his difficulties at Liverpool, it is easy to forget just how good Sakho is. He amassed over 200 performances for PSG, winning all four domestic trophies and establishing himself as first choice for France over Laurent Koscielny.

The players on Chelsea’s transfer shortlist 16 show all The players on Chelsea’s transfer shortlist 1/16 The players on Chelsea's wishlist... Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/Getty Images 2/16 Alexis Sanchez | Arsenal Arsenal FC via Getty Images 3/16 Alex Sandro | Juventus Getty Images 4/16 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Arsenal Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images 5/16 Ross Barkley | Everton Getty Images 6/16 Djibril Sidibe | AS Monaco AFP/Getty Images 7/16 Virgil van Dijk | Southampton Getty Images 8/16 Adama Traore | Middlesbrough 9/16 Cedric Soares | Southampton Getty Images 10/16 Ryan Bertrand | Southampton Ian Walton/Getty Images 11/16 Mousa Dembele | Celtic Getty Images 12/16 Fernando Llorente | Swansea Getty Images 13/16 Marco Verratti | PSG AFP/Getty Images 14/16 Faouzi Ghoulam | Napoli Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images 15/16 Danny Drinkwater | Leicester City Getty Images 16/16 Renato Sanches | Bayern Munich Bongarts/Getty Images 1/16 The players on Chelsea's wishlist... Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/Getty Images 2/16 Alexis Sanchez | Arsenal Arsenal FC via Getty Images 3/16 Alex Sandro | Juventus Getty Images 4/16 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Arsenal Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images 5/16 Ross Barkley | Everton Getty Images 6/16 Djibril Sidibe | AS Monaco AFP/Getty Images 7/16 Virgil van Dijk | Southampton Getty Images 8/16 Adama Traore | Middlesbrough 9/16 Cedric Soares | Southampton Getty Images 10/16 Ryan Bertrand | Southampton Ian Walton/Getty Images 11/16 Mousa Dembele | Celtic Getty Images 12/16 Fernando Llorente | Swansea Getty Images 13/16 Marco Verratti | PSG AFP/Getty Images 14/16 Faouzi Ghoulam | Napoli Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images 15/16 Danny Drinkwater | Leicester City Getty Images 16/16 Renato Sanches | Bayern Munich Bongarts/Getty Images

Southampton have boasted top defenders in recent seasons, such as Toby Alderweireld and Dejan Lovren, and van Dijk looks to have immense potential.

Yet Cesar Azpilicueta was one of the stand-out players in last season’s Premier League, so it is on the left where Chelsea will be looking to strengthen, where Sakho is the better fit.

The acquisition of Bakayoko will turn Chelsea’s engine room into a powerhouse, so finding a natural balance in the defensive three will be high on Antonio Conte’s agenda.

Sakho fits that bill and, whilst Van Dijk will undoubtedly prove a successful, signing for one of Europe’s top clubs, £70m may well prove to be too steep for a player whose strengths aren’t necessarily the ones Chelsea are lacking.



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