Arsenal have held talks with Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk over a summer move, according to the Daily Star.
The Gunners and Manchester City have both reportedly begun negotiations with the centre-back who is expected to leave St Mary’s this season.
Liverpool, Everton and Chelsea are also believed to be interested in the Dutchman but have fallen behind Arsenal and City in the race for his signature.
It is expected the defender could cost upto £50m this summer with both clubs keen to strengthen their defence.
Van Dijk is currently out injured and not expected to return before the end of the season but will still command a high transfer fee after a superb season on the south coast.
While Pep Guardiola is keen to find a long-term partner for John Stones, Arsene Wenger is also believed to be determined to improve his defence and has not been put off by his price tag.
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Wenger has switched to a 3-4-3 formation in recent weeks and has claimed he has been keen to trial the new shape for weeks and believes it gets the best out of his players.
Van Dijk could therefore slot in alongside Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi as part of a new and formidable looking backline for next season, if Arsenal can tempt him to north London.
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