Liverpool will 'strongly reject' any claims of illegal approach for Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool will ‘strongly reject’ any claims that they have made an illegal approach to sign Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, sources have told Yahoo UK.

Reports emerged in the UK on Tuesday suggesting Southampton are considering reporting Liverpool to the Football Association for an illicit move to sign their Dutch defender amid widespread reports that he has set this heart on a move to Anfield.

Southampton are said to be infuriated by these stories, as they have yet to receive a formal offer from Liverpool for Van Dijk, with Chelsea and Manchester City also believed to be keen to sign a defender whose price tag has soared beyond the £50m mark after intense transfer speculation.

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Yet after tying Van Dijk down to a new long-term contract last summer, Southampton insist they have no plans to sell their star man, despite the lavish price tag being attached to the Dutch centre-back and his apparent eagerness to make a move.

Meanwhile, any suggestion that Liverpool have been guilty of ‘tapping up’ Van Dijk will be rejected by the Merseyside club, who will insist they have not broken any transfer rules as they weigh up a formal offer for the 25-year-old Dutchman.

Van Dijk was quoted as stating Liverpool are a ‘beautiful club’ as he appears to be keen follow Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren and Sadio Mane by making a move from Southampton to Anfield, but speculation over his preference appears to have been a little premature as there have been no formal offers made by Liverpool for the player.

Southampton were similarly furious in the summer of 2015, when Manchester United were reported to have agreed personal terms to sign their French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, even though the Old Trafford club had yet to make any contact with the south coast club over a potential move.

Now there are suggestions that Southampton will block any Liverpool moves to sign Van Dijk, yet as the Schneiderlin case highlighted, relations between two clubs can thaw once official transfer negotiations get underway.

In the opinion of Liverpool goal scoring great John Aldridge, a mega-money deal for Van Dijk makes sense for his former club, even if the vast transfer fee is hard to justify.

“In a market distorted by the sugar daddies funding Manchester City and Chelsea and the huge cash pile Jose Mourinho is working with at Manchester United, Liverpool need to enter into the madness if they want to compete,” states Aldridge

“If Liverpool want Van Dijk – and I think that would be a good move by the way – put the crazy £50m on the table and get the deal done quickly.

“Crystal Palace will probably pay £20m to buy Mamadou Sakho, so it would only cost £30m to sign Van Dijk and the money is there from the huge TV revenue rolling in.”

The next move in this increasingly fractious transfer story is likely to come from Liverpool, who will look to assure Southampton that they have not held talks with Van Dijk over a move, before trying to find agreement on what may be one of the transfer stories of the summer.