Former Liverpool and Southampton star Jamie Redknapp says his former club can have no complaints over the unsavoury situation surrounding Virgil van Dijk.
Saints skipper van Dijk has handed in a transfer request and says he is “insulted” at suggestions he refused to train, as reported by the likes of the BBC.
The Holland defender is wanted by Liverpool and Chelsea and in a statement urged the club to listen to offers for his services despite their insistence on keeping him.
“I would like Southampton to consider the interest in me from top clubs should it still exist,” Van Dijk said.
In July, Saints manager Mauricio Pellegrino said that he ordered the Dutchman to train alone and it now appears his future lies elsewhere.
The stance taken by van Dijk has been cause for fervent debate ahead of the start of a new Premier League season.
But former Southampton midfielder Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports Debate the club can have no complaints about the van Dijk situation.
“He goes, it’s an absolute certainty, he won’t play for Southampton,” Redknapp told Sky Sports Debate.
“He’s put in a transfer request and I think that probably suits Southampton. Let’s be honest, I was there for a short time, Southampton now are a selling club.
“And if you’ve got any ambition to be a top player, you’d leave Southampton. (Victor) Wanyama, (Sadio) Mane, (Adam) Lallana… everybody else has gone.
Jamie Redknapp had some home truths for his old club
“I don’t blame him one bit. Southampton can’t really complain, they’ve always sold their best players and now they’re about to sell another one and they should be happy they can go and reinvest and try and bring another kid through the academy but I don’t see any way Virgil van Dijk is a Southampton player after this window closes.”
Liverpool will reportedly have to pay a world record fee for a defender of around £70m to land the 26-year-old.
Whether they would reinvest all or some of that money should they sell remains to be seen.
But finding a replacement with just over two weeks left of the current window could prove difficult.
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