Van Dijk Expected to Make Liverpool Move

Virgil van Dijk is expected to become a Liverpool player by the end of the transfer window, according to sources close to the Dutch international.

Last month Liverpool was forced to issue an apology over their interest in the Southampton captain.

After media speculation that Van Dijk was to join Liverpool over Manchester City or Chelsea, Southampton asked the Premier League to launch an investigation into whether Liverpool made an illegal approach for Van Dijk.

According to Premier League rules, no club official or intermediary can make a direct or indirect approach to a player unless he is either out of contract or they have written consent from the selling club.

Van Dijk signed a new six-year contract with The Saints in May last year, and Southampton are adamant that their captain is not for sale at any price.

But Sky Sports reports that Van Dijk still wants to make the move to Anfield. According to reports, the 26-year-old defender has been ostracised from Southampton and left out of the squad that travelled to France for a training camp this week.

After asking to leave the club, he was reportedly told to “train on his own” by new Saints boss Maurico Pellegrino, because Van Dijk is “not in the right frame of mind” to train with the rest of the team.

Manchester City and Chelsea have also expressed interest in the Dutch star, but according to reports, both have dropped their pursuit of him.

Virgil van Dijk is contracted to Southampton until 2022, and is valued at around £60 million.