When it emerged that Liverpool would be one of the several clubs that would attempt to sign Virgil Van Dijk this summer, many didn’t think they’d stand a chance of signing a player that was one of the most impressive defenders in Europe last season.
The general feeling surrounding van Dijk at the end of last season was that he would be on the move this summer, it was just a case of where. At 26 years of age, the Saints captain is probably about to enter his peak years as a professional and it’s no surprise that the player sees this window as his ideal time to move on. The only issue with that is that Van Dijk opted to pen a six-year-contract at Southampton this time last year – without a release clause.
Chelsea were seen by many as the Dutchman’s most likely destination, with van Dijk looking like the ideal player to slot into their back three. Manchester City were also said to be considering a bid and there were murmurs of interest from Manchester United and some other clubs abroad. All of these clubs have shown in the past that they’re willing to pay huge transfer fees and huge wages to get the players that they want. Liverpool, however, have been more reserved with the money that they throw around and many doubted that they’d be able to provide the financial package that the player and Southampton would want.
But the Reds had done their groundwork, a bit too much of it. Jürgen Klopp is said to have met with van Dijk at the beginning of this year and in June it emerged that Liverpool was the defender’s destination of choice. You would have thought this would have been a crucial breakthrough for the Reds. Convincing a player of this calibre to join them is impressive and shows the lure of working under a manager like Klopp does appeal to many players around the world.
Van Dijk would be tailor made for this Liverpool team. Their one weakness last season was their defence. They conceded a lot of goals from set pieces and lacked a leader in the heart of their backline. van Dijk emphatically addresses all three of them issues. In fact, Liverpool fans should be encouraged by the fact that their top summer targets seem to be van Dijk and RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita. Probably the two best players Liverpool could realistically sign in this market. They’re identifying the right players.
Klopp is said to have spoken to van Dijk about where he would fit into his team and his plans for the coming years. The player was sold – he’d have known that he could be one of the best players and one of the best earners at a club who are looking to achieve big things in the coming years upon their return to the Champions League.
Word of van Dijk’s preference somehow went public in June, but Liverpool hadn’t even made a bid for the player. Having cherry picked Southampton’s best players for around four or five years now, the Saints had had enough and were ready to kick up a fuss. They went on to report Liverpool to the Premier League for an alleged illegal pursuit of their captain. The Reds proceeded to apologise and claimed to have ended all interest in the player to avoid any punishment from the Premier League. I suspect Jürgen Klopp was not a happy man that night.
However, since then, no alternative targets to van Dijk have emerged, despite tentative links to Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly who was said to be seen as a high profile backup option to the Dutch international if Liverpool were unsuccessful in their pursuit of Southampton’s star player.
Perhaps it’s the fact that Van Dijk is so keen on a move to Liverpool that has the Reds kicking themselves. Convincing a player of this quality that Liverpool is the place to be playing his football is not easy, especially with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City circling.
Klopp’s relaxed attitude and patience in the transfer market is a huge indication that he feels the club still have a chance of signing van Dijk this summer. The Dutchman has now gone on strike at Southampton and is still desperate to become a Liverpool player. He has been omitted from Southampton’s pre-season trip to France this week and it remains to be seen how the club reacts to the fact that their club captain does not want to be at the club and will not be preparing for the new season with the rest of his teammates.
OFFICIAL: Virgil van Dijk has been left out of Southampton’s 25-man squad for their pre-season trip to France. #SaintsFC #LFC
— The 4th Official (@Official_T4O) July 24, 2017
Mauricio Pellegrino’s comments earlier this week suggested to me that he just wants the van Dijk situation resorted sooner rather than later. I suspect it’s the board that are determined are determined to not sell him, especially not to Liverpool. They will be well aware that fans are becoming increasingly frustrated seeing their star players take the well-worn path to Merseyside summer after summer. They are also in a position where they should not need to sell van Dijk seen as he signed a new six-year-deal last summer.
It’s been reported in Liverpool that van Dijk is the only centre-back the club are pursuing, with the onus very much on quality rather than quantity this summer. Many Reds fans are finding that hard to believe. The departure of Lucas Leiva to Lazio has left them with Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren, Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez as their only centre-back options. A collection of centre-backs that are capable of performing to a high level in the Champions League? The majority of Liverpool fans don’t seem to think so.
Van Dijk would tick all the boxes. Personally, I still have my doubts over whether the player’s determination to leave this summer will pay off. Southampton will see what RB Leipzig have done with Liverpool this summer by rejecting all their offers for Naby Keita and they will want to do the same. Are they a club in need of the money? Not particularly. The board seem more determined than ever to not do business with Liverpool and I could even see them filing another complaint to the Premier League if the Reds came knocking again having previously stated that they had ended their interest.
The player will be hoping that his position at the club will become untenable but the Saints will be aware that van Dijk is a good professional and is likely to get his head down and carry on as normal if he is still at the club by September.
This one is in the balance, but whatever happens, Liverpool needs to tread extremely carefully if they’re to stand any chance of signing their top centre-back target this summer.
