Merseyside giant Liverpool have received a boost today in their pursuit of Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, with the 26-year-old submitting a transfer request. This came immediately after news that the Saints intended to fine the full back if he did not return to pre season training with his club teammates.
In recent weeks, the Dutch international had been training away from others following a fall-out with Saints’ Chiefs as he angled for a transfer away from the Premier League club. Several attempts to restore the defender into the team had been made by Coach Mauricio Pellegrino but all were turned down by Van Dijk, who remained ‘hell bent’ in his wish to leave the Premier League club.
Having grown increasingly tired of trying to persuade him to commit his future to the club for the upcoming season, the club took the uncommon step of threatening to fine the defender two weeks wages. The Dutch man’s response was to hand in an official transfer request. An official Liverpool offer for him could follow very soon.
The Netherland defender further insisted that the decision to train away from others was not one that he did of his own accord, but that instead the club management had pushed him to do it, and their attempts to pass it to him in the press is cited as another reason he thought remaining at the club is no longer a possibility.
