Everton are now believed to be leading the race to sign Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk, reports the Sunday Mirror.
The Toffees are keen on the defender, with manager Ronald Koeman looking to reunite with his compatriot at Goodison Park.
Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool have all been linked with a move for the 25-year-old, who is believed to have a £25m release clause in his contract.
Koeman has been given the green light to strengthen the squad in the New Year with Van Dijk now his primary target.
And Everton are thought to hold the advantage after Van Dijk ditched his agent to sign up with the same company that represents Koeman.
Reports in the Netherlands now believe the two Dutchman will link up once more in January as Everton look to bolster their weak defence when the transfer window opens.
Koeman is the man credited with turning Van Dijk into the Premier League quality centre-back he is today having signed him from Celtic in 2015.
For more stats on Virgil van Dijk, click here to view his WhoScored player page
van dijk is worldclass and im sure he can do better than everton.