Antonio Conte has revealed that he wanted to sign Virgil van Dijk before he completed a £75 million move to Liverpool. The manager has said that despite the asking price being so high, Chelsea were only willing to pay £50 million.
Van Dijk joined Liverpool from Southampton earlier this month for a £75 million fee. He became the world’s most expensive defender with the transfer.
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Conte mainly wanted to sign him as a replacement for David Luiz. The Brazilian and the manager had a fall out in November and since then, Luiz has only made a couple of appearances for the club.
Manchester United, Real Madrid and Arsenal have been linked with David Luiz but none of the interests have resulted in a bid. The defender is keen on leaving the club as he wants to play regularly and make it to Russia with the Brazilian national team.
Also read: Conte’s agent reveals they failed to sign target