In fact, the Spaniard has congratulated us on the transfer, which officially goes through on January 1 for £75m.
The deal will make the Dutchman the most expensive defender in the history of football.
Guardiola told the Express: “Liverpool took an amazing player. Van Dijk is an exceptional central defender, that’s a price we’ll see [again] in the future.
“Sometimes the cheaper players are more expensive than the expensive players. If he played six or seven years at a high level it would be cheap. If he played not well, more expensive.
“John Stones, when he came here, people said he was too expensive. Now he’s too cheap. It always depends on the value of what happens on the pitch.”
It’s likely that van Dijk will make his Liverpool debut in the FA Cup against Everton, as he won’t be ready for the match on New Year’s Day.
We first targeted the 26-year-old in June, but had to wait until now to confirm the deal for a number of reasons.
The important thing is though that we have one of the country’s finest defenders in our roster.
He’s quick, composed and unbelievably strong.
Our starting XI with the central defender included looks much better than without him.
It’s a lot of money, but we needed him.