Southampton are rated favourites in the race for Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk.
The Mail on Sunday says the Dutchman confirmed his desire to quit Scotland in the wake of Celtic's Champions League exit to Maribor in midweek, prompting a number of enquiries for the £8million-rated stopper.
Southampton, managed by Van Dijk's compatriot Ronald Koeman, are in the market for defensive reinforcements following the sales of Luke Shaw to Manchester United and Dejan Lovren to Liverpool.
Those sales alone account for £50m and, with money to burn, the south-coast club have already paid £10m to Celtic for goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
The Parkhead club's bargaining position is strengthened further by interest from Sunderland, Newcastle, Napoli and Hamburg, who are all considering moving for the 23-year-old before Monday's signing deadline.
