Arsenal Transfer News: Virgil van Dijk Talks Reported, Latest Rumours

Arsenal have reportedly held talks with Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, but Liverpool remains the player's preferred option for a summer transfer.

According to the Mail on Sunday's Simon Jones (h/t Jack Otway of the Daily Express), Chelsea are also keeping an eye on the Dutchman, who has been linked with a move away from the South Coast throughout the summer but still finds himself as a member of the Saints as deadline day approaches on August 31.

The 26-year-old has yet to feature in the Premier League this season, and a split seems inevitable at this point. The Gunners haven't been linked with Van Dijk often, and B/R Football didn't even mention the club during a recent question about the likely outcome of this transfer saga:

Arsenal's nightmare start to the Premier League season has prompted plenty of late-summer rumours, as the Gunners are in desperate need of reinforcements. The team's defence in particular is a mess―after three Premier League matches, only West Ham United have conceded more goals.

The 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday highlighted the biggest flaws the team has, and the absence of Shkodran Mustafi certaintly played a major part. The German sat on the bench for 90 minutes amid speculation he's edging toward a move to Inter Milan, per Otway.

Per Marca's Chris Winterburn, manager Arsene Wenger refused to give an update on the speculation involving the former Valencia man:

The lack of defensive prowess was far from the only problem on Sunday, and per the Daily Mirror's John Cross, everything starts with the man at the top:

But Wenger appears set to stay for now, and there's every chance he'll attempt to give his squad a boost with a late addition. He could do worse than adding an experienced Premier League defender like Van Dijk, who was among the top performers in the competition last season.

Liverpool and Chelsea have been chasing the former Celtic man throughout the summer, however, and as of right now, the race seems to have come down to those two. There are no guarantees he leaves to begin with, although Saints are expected to cash in.

Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino recently told reporters he expects Van Dijk to stay.