Southampton prepare for Virgil van Dijk exit with £12million bid for Lazio defender Wesley Hoedt
Saints look resigned to losing £50m Holland international and will move for Serie A star as possible replacement
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SOUTHAMPTON look to be bracing themselves for Virgil van Dijk's exit by bidding £12million for Lazio's Wesley Hoedt, according to reports.
Van Dijk is due to discuss his future with manager Mauricio Pellegrino this week after saying he wanted to leave, report the .
He already has been training on his own at the club's Staplewood base while the rest of the side were on a pre-season trip to France.
And with a move looking likely the Saints are lining up replacements.
One of them is 23-year-old centre-back Hoedt, who has four international caps to his name.
He was a target for Southampton last summer too, with Middlesbrough, Everton and Leicester also monitoring the Serie A star.
His qualities include being a powerful force in the air and having a knack for reading the game well.
Southampton could also use the cash from Van Dijk's exit to sign Tottenham's Kevin Wimmer.
Saints are contemplating an offer of around £20m for the man who joined Spurs from FC Cologne in 2015 but has gone on to feature for the side only 15 times in the top flight.
And with the money earned from Van Dijk's exit, it's not impossible that both players could be making their way to the south coast.
