Chelsea told 25-year-old Netherlands defender is not for sale
Southampton reiterate Virgil van Dijk is not for sale despite interest from Premier League champions Chelsea
Chelsea will have to rethink their summer transfer plans after Southampton reiterated Virgil van Dijk is not for sale this summer.
The Premier League champions have been heavily linked with a move to sign the 25-year-old to strengthen their defence ahead of the 2017-18 season.
Chelsea were thought to be interested in signing Van Dijk in a big-money deal to help replace John Terry following the Chelsea captain’s departure.
Liverpool, meanwhile, were reported to be on the brink of signing the Dutch centre-half earlier in the summer transfer window before a deal fell through.
The Merseyside outfit were forced to issue a statement apologising to Southampton for a “misunderstanding” in their pursuit of the ex-Celtic man.
And Southampton executive director Les Reed has sent a message to Chelsea warning the champions that Van Dijk is off limits this summer.
“None of those players are for sale. I can’t make it any plainer than that and that’s the way we mean to go forward,” Reed told Sky Sports News HQ.
“We built this squad over some time and think we have a strong squad. We will fine-tune it but, other than that, we are looking forward to a very competitive season next year and we plan to go forward on that basis.
“There may be players that go on the basis it is the right thing for them and the club at that given time, but we don’t expect that to be wholesale and this is simply doing sound business in the transfer window.”
Van Dijk has established himself as a key member of the Southampton team during the past two seasons following his move from Celtic in 2015.
The Netherlands international missed the EFL Cup final due to a serious knee injury as the Saints lost 3-2 to Manchester United at Wembley.
