Southampton: Five centre-backs the Saints could replace VVD with

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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JANUARY 05: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates victory after the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield on January 5, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /

With just a week remaining in the January transfer window, Southampton are yet to make any signings despite a fair amount of speculation.

Included in these rumours are both Guido Carrillo and Quincy Promes, with Sky reporting this afternoon that the Saints have had a £19.2 million bid accepted for the Argentine forward.

Promes meanwhile plies down the right-hand side, with his pace and goal-scoring comparable to that of former-Saints winger Sadio Mane. With Carrillo at six-foot-two, it’s arguable that the duo are finally the replacements for both Graziano Pelle and Mane himself.

However, the Saints sold another key player just under a month ago, in the form of Virgil van Dijk. The Dutch defender became an instant hit with his derby-winning goal on his debut, before he inadvertently set up Alfie Mawson for the only game of the game against Swansea on Monday.

Nonetheless, VVD commanded a £75 million fee and has left a gaping void at the heart of Southampton’s defence. Whilst Wesley Hoedt has been an instant hit, both Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida have had indifferent seasons, and fourth-choice Jan Bednarek has barely featured.

Despite this, the Saints have barely been linked with any defenders, only passing rumours rather than any solid news. Whilst Southampton often do their business behind closed doors, it’s unusual to not see any links to a new centre-back.

Therefore, here are a five options that the Saints could look at over the next week.