Liverpool and Man City suffer huge transfer setback in race to sign £60m PL star

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Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger has warned interested parties off Virgil van Dijk, with both Liverpool and Man City reportedly keen on signing him.

The Dutchman has been a solid presence in the Saints defence since arriving from Celtic in 2015, but his impressive performances have ultimately led to interest from elsewhere.

As noted by The Telegraph in December, Southampton reportedly placed a £60m price-tag on him in order to deter interest from both Liverpool and Manchester City, with both clubs keen to bolster their defensive options.

City have conceded 29 goals in 25 Premier League games this season, while Liverpool have played a game more and have conceded 33. In turn, it’s no secret that that’s one of their biggest weaknesses, and so signing a player of the ilk of Van Dijk would certainly address that.

However, combined with those reported hefty demands, Saints chairman Krueger has now publicly stated that he’s confident that the club’s defensive leader will still be at St Mary’s next season.

“Virgil is committed to us for a long time and we don’t see anything but that in our future,” he told talkSPORT.

“We will be sitting together in a few weeks to look at our summer transfer window and what the plans are.

“At the moment, Virgil is very committed to us. He is our team captain and we see him in our red and white stripes.”

The 25-year-old is under contract with Southampton until 2022, and so they are undoubtedly in a strong position this summer to reject offers if they come in.

Having made the EFL Cup final this season, the Saints will want to push on in the league too to prove to their star players that they can match their ambitions, as for all the contracts and promises that can be made, turning down clubs like Liverpool and City will be difficult given what they can offer in comparison.

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