According to reports in The Times, Manchester City are considering making a January move for Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who is rated at £70m by the south coast oufit.

The Times says that Citizens boss Pep Guardiola wants to strengthen his central defensive options in the New Year, and he will decide between trying to sign van Dijk or Real Sociedad's Inigo Martinez, who would be a cheaper option.

The report adds that long-term admirers Liverpool are still keen on the 26-year-old having seen an attempt to sign him during the summer rebuffed, while Arsene Wenger is also weighing up a move for the Netherlands international.

Meanwhile, Everton's fortunes have turned around since they were beaten 4-1 by Saints at St Mary's last month, and they have taken 10 points from a possible 12 since, keeping three clean sheets in the process.

While performances and results have improved following a hugely disappointing start to the campaign, Sam Allardyce is still likely to want to strengthen his squad in January, and the Daily Mail says he is keen to sign a new centre-back.

The arrival of van Dijk at the Etihad Stadium would certainly bring Eliaquim Mangala's future into doubt, and bringing him to Goodison Park could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Everton should move for the Frenchman if City sign the Dutch defender…

Future centre-back options

It is of little surprise that Allardyce is reportedly looking for a new centre-back in January, because it is something that Everton certainly need to sort out not only for this season, but also for the future.

With Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams getting no younger, Michael Keane struggling for form after a decent start to his Toffees career and Mason Holgate still developing, the Merseyside outfit look to need an experienced player that is still yet to reach the peak of his career, and Mangala certainly fits the bill with his Premier League knowledge.

His qualities

Mangala has only played 290 minutes of Premier League football for Man City this season, but he has certainly shown his qualities during that time on the pitch.

According to Squawka, the 26-year-old has made six clearances and three interceptions in four top flight outings this term, while he has won six aerial duels and has an impressive passing accuracy of 95% from 135 pass attempts.

The Frenchman was far more of a regular in the 2015/16 campaign where, according to Squawka, he won 41 aerial duels, as well as making 123 clearances and 66 interceptions in 23 English top flight appearances.

The fact that he successfully completed five of the six take-ons he attempted also shows that he isn't afraid to beat an opponent and is relatively comfortable on the ball.

Price tag

By the time we get to January Mangala will only have 18 months left on his Man City contract, and his lack of game time this term and his season-long loan spell with Valencia during the previous campaign suggests he won't be offered an extension to his deal while Pep Guardiola is in charge.

If City do sign Virgil van Dijk in January then the Spaniard may be under pressure to sell one of his centre-backs in order to try and balance the books a little, and that could mean that Mangala is available in a cut-price deal.

Considering his experience in the Premier League and in Europe – as well as the fact that he has eight France caps to his name in a highly competitive squad – he could prove to be a bargain buy for Everton.

Do you agree, Toffees fans? Let us know below.