"Southampton" threats helped deter at least one of the teams targeting 25-year-old Dutch national team central defender Virgil van Dijk. There have been many rumors in the media lately that the defender belonging to the "Southampton" club is already one foot in the "Liverpool" club. According to reports, the "Reds" had started negotiations with the player without any "saints" permission, so the latter promised to complain to the Football Association led by Jurgen Klopp. It seems that these warning signals were enough for the "Liverpool" club - the "Reds" issued an official statement apologizing to all "Southampton" club community and announced that they refuse to continue the fight for the acquisition of the defender. "Liverpool" club would like to apologize to the "Southampton" football community for the media speculation spread," read the official statement. "We apologize to the owner, director, staff, and fans of 'Southampton' for any misunderstanding in this Virgil van Dijk acquisition story. We respect the position of the 'Southampton' club and can confirm that we are ceasing interest in this player," the statement added. This means that because of the £50 million-rated V. van Dijk, this summer, the two clubs realistically vying for him are "Manchester City" and London's "Chelsea."
