According to reports in the Daily Mail, Southampton are lining up a £12m bid for Lazio centre-back Wesley Hoedt as they prepare for the departure of Liverpool target Virgil van Dijk, but Premier League rivals Everton are also credited with an interest in the 24-year-old.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Daily Mail says that the £60m-rated Van Dijk is due to meet with Saints officials this week to discuss his future after telling the south coast outfit that he wants to move on.

The Southampton skipper trained on his own at the club’s Staplewood training base last week after manager Mauricio Pellegrino decided to exclude him from the squad that travelled to France as part of their pre-season preparations.

The Daily Mail says that the 26-year-old has expressed a wish to join Liverpool despite the Merseyside outfit already being forced to issue an official apology on their club website in June after being accused of tapping the Dutchman up.

The report adds that Saints have opened talks with Lazio over a deal for Hoedt, but that Everton have also considered signing the left-sided centre-back.

How did Hoedt do last season?

Despite being far from a regular in the Lazio side in Serie A – he appeared in 23 of their 38 Italian top flight matches – the 23-year-old showed the qualities he has when he does get on the pitch, while he also scored two league goals.

However, he proved his defensive abilities by making 109 clearances and 23 interceptions, while he also showed how comfortable he is in possession of the ball – something that is important to both Saints and the Toffees – with an overall passing accuracy of 87%.

Furthermore, as well as being able to clear the ball when required, the Netherlands international is also able to bring the ball out of defence and he successfully completed 52 of the 62 take-ons he attempted.

Would he be a good signing for Southampton or Everton?

He certainly would be.

The attributes we have mentioned above mean that he would be an ideal replacement – or partner – for Van Dijk at St Mary’s next season and with the potential to develop in the future.

Everton boss Ronald Koeman is also searching for a left-sided centre-back after Ramiro Funes Mori was ruled out for a further six to nine months, and he would surely be delighted if he could get his Dutch compatriot for around the £12m mark.