In a scene that’s becoming somewhat of a summer staple, Southampton have taken exception to Liverpool’s pursuit of one of their players and have reported the Reds to the Premier League over alleged “illegal” talks held with highly coveted defender Virgil van Dijk.
The likes of Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Sadio Mane and Nathaniel Clyne have all traveled what’s now a well worn path from the South Coast to Merseyside over the past couple of years and all signs are currently pointing to the Dutchman following suit after he reportedly told the Saints he’d like to make a move to Anfield this summer. The likes of Manchester City and Chelsea have also expressed a strong interest in signing the 25-year old, but a chance to work with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and the prospect of being a part of an exciting Reds resurgence has apparently tipped the scales in favour of the charismatic German manager.
A healthy pay-packet of somewhere in the region of £200,000k per week and the chance to become the most expensive defender ever in a deal that could rise as high as £60mil is attractive as well, but with five years remaining on a contract he only just re-upped with Southampton, the Saints hold all the cards and this most recent development reaffirms the party line and stresses that they’re not ready to sit down at the table and show their hand.
Though there’s been no official statement from either side as of yet, it’s being reported that the South Coast club have alleged that no official approach has been made for van Dijk and if Liverpool are found have contacted the player regarding a transfer without the club’s expressed permission, there could be consequences should a Premier League investigation find the Reds guilty of “tapping up” the defender.
