IF CITY GET VAN DIJK, IT’S OVER

CHELSEA will take on Manchester City in the race to sign Virgil van Dijk – to stop Pep Guardiola’s tabletoppers disappearing into the distance.

Blues boss Antonio Conte fears that if City continue to buy up all the best talent, they will be uncatchable for years.

Liverpool are also bang in the hunt for Southampton’s £70million Dutch can happen, like last season, that you can do a fantastic job for many circumstances. We created a fantastic group of players with great motivation, great desire, to achieve a fantastic result.

“Because I repeat last season for me City were superior to us. United the same. Tottenham the same. And Arsenal. But despite this we won the league.

“Now we are trying to work very hard. We are working very hard. It is important to understand this. “I think last season we did a fantastic job. Don’t forget two years ago the team finished 10th. If you remember our transfer market wasn’t impressive.

“We are trying to change the average age of our team. Now I think our team is younger than last season. For a club like Chelsea it is very important to start to do this if you want to create a new base and face the future with confidence.

“I repeat, after a great season like last season, then to change many players for many reasons, to start to work with young players and to create this base?

“I think we are doing a fantastic job.” defender (above) but for Conte the nightmare scenario is a Van Dijk move north to the Etihad.

“Every club must pay great attention,” said Conte, who won the Premier League title in his first season in England.

“If a club like City takes all the best, it will be very difficult for us to fight. Not only in England but in Europe.”