Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf have a big feature in their Tuesday edition on Virgil Van Dijk and all the clubs who are said to want him. There are different claims for each one, with Everton having the Koeman factor, and Liverpool and Manchester City are thrown in together.
Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are said to be keen, as interest grows in the defender. Klopp has insinuated he’s not looking to make big changes in the winter transfer market, or any at all, but it wouldn’t be a great shock to see his position change.
Guardiola has had defensive issues at Manchester City and whilst he’s already added John Stones, faith in Nicolas Otamendi and other options may be lessening.
De Telegraaf say that for the past two months, Liverpool and Manchester City have had someone watch every Southampton match, to keep an eye on the defender. Pleased with what they’ve seen, the Dutch newspaper say both clubs are willing to put £25m on the table to sign him in January.
Van Dijk allegedly has a clause which allows him to leave Southampton for £25m, making it a reasonable price for the 25 year old and a relatively easy deal to do.
Making his name at Celtic, Van Dijk has shown since signing for Southampton that he’s got the ability to play at the highest level, and he’s now also a regular Dutch international.
There are often clauses reported for footballers which are incorrect or don’t exist at all. In English football it’s rare for players to have release clauses, whereas in Spain and Portugal every player has a buyout amount.
