Bookies suspend betting on Virgil van Dijk joining Liverpool
Published:
Virgil van Dijk will be a Liverpool player next season, according to our traders.
That’s because they’ve shut the book on Van Dijk’s next club odds, having previously cut Liverpool into 1/8 from 4/7 to land the Southampton centre-half.
It’s believed the Anfield outfit are offering the Dutchman a salary around £200,000-per-week.
And it’s also understood that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp wants to make Van Dijk the focal point of Liverpool’s defence.
The news will be a blow to Manchester City, who had reportedly attempted to swoop in on the former Celtic man at the weekend.
Our traders acted accordingly too, bringing City in from 7/1 to 9/4.
But Pep Guardiola’s chances now look over.
It’s not yet known exactly how much Liverpool will pay Southampton, but the Hampshire club look set to pocket up to £60m.
It marks a tidy windfall for the Saints, who spent just £13m on Van Dijk when signing him from Celtic two years ago.
And when Van Dijk ends up at Anfield, he’ll become the sixth Southampton player to have made the switch since 2014, with Liverpool handing over a total of £100m for the previous five.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “Once again, the Reds look set to snatch another Saints star in the shape of Van Dijk.
“After months of speculation, it seems both clubs have come to an agreement and we won’t be taking any more bets on this market.”
Klopp looks set to do another big-money deal in the coming weeks too, with Roma’s Mohamed Salah closing in on a move.
The Egyptian ace is reportedly set to cost the Reds around £35m, but both he and Van Dijk would bring Liverpool welcome depth and quality as they prepare to return to Champions League football.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
