Liverpool Transfer News: Virgil van Dijk 'Not for Sale in This Window'

Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger has said the club will not sell reported Liverpool target Virgil van Dijk this summer.

Speaking about the player, Krueger was "adamant" Saints would not be forced into selling one of their key assets despite his desire to move on, per Simon Peach of the Press Association:

As noted by BBC Sport, Van Dijk lodged a transfer request to Southampton, with the Reds long linked with the defender, as well as Manchester City and Chelsea.

Despite the 26-year-old making his intentions clear, Krueger also suggested there would be a path back into the side for Van Dijk should he remain a Saints player.

"Well, first of all, they have experienced it here before on multiple occasions, and it hasn't been a problem," he told Press Association Sport (h/t The Independent). "I can go back to Morgan Schneiderlin in our first summer, and I could list others, but let's not do that. We've had other examples of that where it was no problem, so I don't see that as a problem."

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Southampton have earned a reputation for bringing in players, developing them and moving them on for a profit in the past. 

Liverpool have benefited from that model, with the path from St Mary's Stadium to Anfield a well-trodden one. The likes of Adam Lallana, Sadio Mane, Nathaniel Clyne and Dejan Lovren have all made the move in the past.

It appears Southampton are unwilling to budge on Van Dijk, though, despite reports the player would command a world-record £70 million fee for a defender, per Yahoo Sports.

As noted by Jack Lusby of This Is Anfield, based on the standard of defending on show for Liverpool so far this season, Van Dijk would have been a welcome arrival:

Despite injury problems at the end of the 2016-17 campaign, the former Celtic man has established himself as one of the best in his position during two years in English football.

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He would make a huge difference for Liverpool. Multifaceted defenders are rare, and given the way in which the Reds pile forward in attack, it's that type of centre-back the team needs. With his authority, intelligence, pace and power, Van Dijk ticks a lot of boxes.

Indeed, Jonathan Northcroft of the Sunday Times feels as though it's imperative Liverpool get their man:

But the days of Southampton yielding to bigger names appear to be over. Krueger's statement is a strong one, and the club going back on that stance now would be undermining. Plus, Van Dijk agreed a new six-year contract with Saints last summer, so there's no pressure to sell from a financial standpoint.

Liverpool will be wary of being overly aggressive in their pursuit of the player, too. That's after they were reported to the Premier League by Southampton for an alleged illegal approach for Van Dijk and subsequently apologised, as reported by BBC Sport.