Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool, and there had been rumours he was considering a transfer request.
According to a report from the Daily Echo, Southampton are currently hoping that they will be able to keep hold of Virgil van Dijk for at least another year, and a transfer request is unlikely to be submitted by the Dutchman.
The Echo reports that the Saints talisman has attracted plenty of attention from Liverpool, and with the south coast side not planning to accept any bids of £60 million, there had been a suggestion that the former Celtic man may have to hand in a transfer request to make a deal happen.
Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk
However, Southampton plan to try and hold onto the centre-back for at least one more season as the Echo reports that the Saints are confident that his value will not drop – which would certainly not be out of the question considering that he signed a six-year deal only last summer.
And the Echo adds that Southampton fans should not be too concerned about the possibility of a transfer request that would supposedly help get a move up and running being submitted.
The Echo suggests that it would be against the 26-year-old’s character to submit such a request, seemingly suggesting that Mauricio Pellegrino could perhaps allow himself to be confident that he will not have to replace his captain during the coming months.
The news will undoubtedly provide Southampton fans with a considerable boost as they have had to deal with a number of their best players moving to their Premier League rivals in recent years, but it appears that van Dijk will not become the latest – this summer, at least.
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