Light shone on the darkest recesses of football transfers when Liverpool were accused of ‘tapping up’ 26-year-old Southampton defender. The Saints reported their rivals to the Premier League but the matter was dropped when the Merseysiders agreed not to pursue the Dutch international further.
Claims emerged recently that Van Dijk, stripped of the Southampton captaincy following the summer shenanighans, was a target of Barcelona’s attentions. The Daily Mirror however, claims that interest is well and truly over.
After extensive scouting, Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez has ruled out a move for Van Dijk. According to the Mirror, he has doubts about whether the 26-year-old with Fernandez “not sold on Van Dijk’s quality.”
The fee is an issue as well with Southampton looking to recoup around £60m from any sale, ruling out most elite clubs whose spending plans are diverting funds into more attacking roles.
For Liverpool, it is a green light to play hardball with the Saints in negotiations. Arsenal, their major domestic rival for the central defender, have other targets in mind, particularly needing to replace Alexis Sanchez, 28, and Mesut Özil, 29.
However, Southampton are reluctant to sell players to Liverpool following the disrespect shown them last summer. It means a ‘premium’ is likely to be attached to any price quoted to the Reds and that may yet attract bigger fish to the pond.
