Man City ponder Van Dijk bid to fix defensive problems

Manchester: Manchester City will seriously consider making a bid for Southampton central defender Virgil van Dijk next month if they continue to get exposed at the back over the coming weeks.

City would rather hold off on making any more signings, apart from the arrival of Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus who was bought in the summer, until the end of the season.

But a repeat of the recent defensive performances that caused City to concede three goals against Chelsea and four at Leicester City could force the club into the market, with Van Dijk, who is also interesting Chelsea and Everton, earmarked as a potential target.

City face Arsenal at home on Sunday in a game that will again test manager Pep Guardiola’s defence and also travel to Liverpool on New Year’s Eve following the Boxing Day game at Hull City. By the time the January transfer window opens, Guardiola should have a clear idea of whether or not he can find a defensive strategy that can work for the remainder of the season with the players he already has.

City cannot risk failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Guardiola’s team has conceded more goals than leaders Chelsea and fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

Van Dijk has been in superb form for Southampton this season and is understood to be keen to move to a top-four club either in January or next summer.

The Southampton manager, Claude Puel, has denied the Dutch centre-half has a pounds 25 million (Dh114.6 million) buyout clause in his contract.

The south coast club are understood to value the 25-year-old at pounds 40 million. Everton are also big admirers of Van Dijk, but could struggle to convince the player to move to Goodison Park with the likes of City and Chelsea weighing up moves. Van Dijk’s former club Celtic will be due around 10 per cent of any fee Southampton receive for the player as part of the deal that took him to St Mary’s for pounds 13 million in the summer of 2015.

Meanwhile, Guardiola is confident Claudio Bravo is happy in Manchester, despite suggestions the City goalkeeper has struggled to settle in the city. Reports in Spain have claimed Bravo is having difficulty adapting to life in the north-west and is keen to return to Barcelona.

But Guardiola said he spoke with Bravo and the keeper’s wife in recent days and is convinced the Chilean has no problems at City. “I spoke with Bravo in the last days, his wife as well,” said Guardiola. “I saw them him here, with his little daughter, who is one-year-old. He told me he’s so happy.”