Van Dijk’s isolation at Southampton continues; Dutchman left out of squad

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Virgil van Dijk has been left out of Southampton’s squad for the club’s upcoming pre-season trip amid ongoing rumours linking him to Liverpool.

The Dutchman is not part of the 25-man cohort set to travel to France to take part in a fitness-orientated training camp before playing Saint-Étienne on Saturday.

This comes shortly after the defender was banished to train alone having informed his club of a desire to leave this summer.

It’s been made no secret that Van Dijk’s name remains to sit high on Jurgen Klopp’s transfer wishlist with the Reds boss viewing him as his one and only centre-back target.

The 26-year-old appears to have set his heart on a move to Merseyside, although a deal promises to be extremely complicated following Southampton’s complaint against Liverpool’s ‘illegal pursuit’.

Despite having issued a statement ‘ending all interest’ in the player, a fresh approach is ready to be made if Anfield officials are given good reason to believe the Saints are open to bids.

Van Dijk’s obvious mindset makes his omission from the squad relatively self-explanatory, yet it may not make any difference with manager Mauricio Pellegrino having reiterated that the defender will not be sold.

It will be interesting to see how a possible bid in excess of £60million impacts that stance.

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