Report: Arsenal to hijack Chelsea's Van Dijk bid

Looking to shore up a backline that has appeared at times unnecessarily penetrable, Arsenal is reportedly looking to hijack Chelsea's reported move for Southampton star Virgil van Dijk.

Despite Arsene Wenger's assurances that the back-three he employed for Monday's victory at Middlesbrough is not part of the club's long-term plan, the north London lot is reportedly targetting a move for Van Dijk to both bolster the defence and cater to any future uses of the formation.

The problem for Arsenal is that rival Chelsea stands in the way of a swoop for the Saints standout, though the Gunners are looking to send a clear message by outbidding its local foes, the Mirror's John Cross reports.

Arsenal has been monitoring Van Dijk since he swapped Celtic for Southampton for a relatively meager £13 million, and it's now a case of you snooze you lose as a bid of at least double that would be necessary to pry the ponytailed centre-back from St. Mary's.

Considering Shkodran Mustafi cost Arsenal £35 million in the summer, and the German has at times appeared more Sebastien Squillaci than Paolo Maldini, it's likely the 25-year-old Oranje aerial wizard would merit somewhere in the neighbourhood of £40 million.

Van Dijk, who hasn't played since injuring his ankle Jan. 22 against Leicester City, is one of the Premier League's hottest commodities, reportedly generating interest from Liverpool, Manchester City, and Everton as well.

The towering Dutchman isn't the only defender Arsenal is reportedly monitoring. With Nacho Monreal experiencing a drop in form this season and Kieran Gibbs likely to leave for more first-team minutes, the Gunners have approached Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac, with Wenger and Co. looking to nab the Bosnian international on a free summer transfer.