Liverpool have been linked with former Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk, now at Southampton.
Liverpool are among the clubs reportedly interested in signing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in the summer transfer window.
According to The Mirror, Liverpool are keen on the Netherlands international defender, and so are Everton and Manchester City.
Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea also want to secure the services of the former Celtic centre-back in the summer, according to the report.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has not worked with the 25-year-old former Groningen man, but he seems to rate the defender highly.
The former Liverpool manager has revealed what the Celtic players have told him about Van Dijk.
“The problem sometimes for some of the guys playing up here for Celtic is that people were thinking that they were only playing in Scottish football, which is of course a less competitive league than the Premier League,” Rodgers told talkSPORT.
“But if you’re doing it at a European level for Celtic and you’re playing under the pressure for Celtic, then you have to have something about you.
“I speak to the guys at the club who have worked with Virgil van Dijk, and he’s always had those qualities. It’s just up to someone to take that punt on him.
“He’s 6ft 4in, he’s fast, he can play, he’s an international footballer, he’s good in the air – he’s got everything. You saw that in a player like Wanyama when he was up here as well, you know they’re a top player.
“Virgil is at a great club, let’s not forget, Southampton is a fantastic club, and if he left there then of course it would have to be what you would consider to be one of the top four or top six clubs.”
In his two seasons at Southampton, Van Dijk has proved himself to be a top-quality defender and has been a success in the Premier League.
Liverpool have problems defensively, and the Reds do need to sign a class centre-back in the summer transfer window in order to launch a challenge for the league title next season.
Van Dijk would be a great signing for Liverpool, and manager Jurgen Klopp should do all he can to secure his services in the summer.
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