Liverpool’s chances of acquiring Virgil van Dijk have just been boosted, with Barcelona pulling out of a potential transfer.
Mundo Deportivo, translated by Inside Futbol, claim that Barca’s technical director Robert Fernandez doesn’t believe Southampton’s Dutchman represents value for money.
Instead, the Catalans will focus on buying Ajax’s Matthijs de Ligt, who’s just 18-years-old and is already displaying the talent to become one of Europe’s hottest defensive properties.
SEE MORE:
FSG ‘annoyed’ at ‘reckless’ transfer dealings – ‘Damage surely done’
It’s no surprise that a non-Premier League club think the figures mooted for van Dijk are excessive…
Throughout the summer, a fee of around £70m was touted for a 26-year-old with very little Champions League experience and just 14 caps for the Netherlands.
That would make van Dijk the most expensive centre-back of all time.
The Independent say Liverpool are still interested in the defender, who himself is mighty keen on exiting St. Mary’s after they denied him a summer move.
Whether they’ll change tact and allow dialogue with Liverpool this winter remains to be seen.
But with Jurgen Klopp deciding it’s ‘van Dijk or nobody,’ many fans are waiting patiently for positive developments.