Saints Marching
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A look at the three central defenders currently linked with Southampton

By Nikos Lemanis

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 31: Virgil van Dijk of Southampton and Hal Robson-Kanu of West Bromwich Albion compete for the ball during the Premier League match between Southampton and West Bromwich Albion at St Mary's Stadium on December 31, 2016 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 31: Virgil van Dijk of Southampton and Hal Robson-Kanu of West Bromwich Albion compete for the ball during the Premier League match between Southampton and West Bromwich Albion at St Mary's Stadium on December 31, 2016 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) /
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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 05: Virgil van Dijk of Southampton celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Southampton and Sunderland at St Mary’s Stadium on March 5, 2016 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 05: Virgil van Dijk of Southampton celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Southampton and Sunderland at St Mary’s Stadium on March 5, 2016 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images) /

For a few days last week the news and social media sensationalism around Virgil van Dijk started to wane slightly. His return to the first team squad even looked quite likely, and a lack of bids seemed to confuse the ‘inevitability’ of the situation.

However it appears that we were just caught in the eye of this particular media storm.

With the team having returned from their second pre-training camp in France, showdown talks with the defender have reportedly resulted in a stalemate, with both sides further entrenched in their positions. Virgil seems to remain fixated on a move away from the south coast, but Saints are standing firm and refusing to sell.

But as the storm of rumours and speculation starts to regain intensity, some transfer side stories have emerged.

Over the past few days a number of defenders have been linked with Southampton. It is unclear whether Saints are considering replacements for VVD or looking to further add to their defensive ranks, but it appears as if the club are assessing available options.

Here are three of the names that have been mentioned.

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