Van Dijk tells Southampton he wants out
Club rule out sale and order him to train alone Liverpool facing battle to hold on to Coutinho
The new Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino has revealed that Virgil Van Dijk says he wants to leave and is not currently in a fit “psychological” state to play for the club, with the Argentine coach having ordered the defender to train separately from the first team squad.
In his first interview since taking over at Southampton, Pellegrino has reiterated the club’s stance that Van Dijk will not be sold this summer and says that he hopes the 26-year-old will be reintegrated into the squad once he accepts the situation. As things stand, Van Dijk, already the subject of a high-profile failed attempt by Liverpool to sign him, will not travel to France next week for a training camp and friendly against Saint Etienne a week on Saturday.
Having signed a six-year contract last summer, the Dutchman’s performances last season made him the most sought-after defender in Europe with a value in excess of £60 million. Last month, Liverpool issued a public apology to Southampton and pledged to end their interest in Van Dijk when faced with a potential Premier League investigation into their conduct.
Yet Van Dijk has made it clear he still wishes to leave the club despite the firm stance taken by owner Katharina Liebherr and chairman Ralph Krueger over his future. Van Dijk was also on Chelsea’s list of defensive targets at the start of the summer. Speaking at Southampton’s training ground, Pellegrino said he believed Van Dijk would return to the first team squad.
Pellegrino said: “My relationship with Virgil is excellent. I was clear with the boy from the first day with him. The club told me they will not sell Virgil. I communicate the idea of the club to the players and for me it was easy [to leave Van Dijk out of training] because I had to manage the dynamic of the team.
“Now he is not involved with the team because psychologically he is not 100 per cent. I need to work with the players who are 100 per cent to defend Southampton.”
It was Pellegrino’s decision that Van Dijk train separately, and the Argentine is expected to be uncompromising when it comes to protecting the team spirit at the club. “I had to say, ‘If you don’t want to be involved because you don’t feel OK then you have to train alone until this period of time is over.’”
Asked again whether Van Dijk would leave, Pellegrino said: “I repeat that the club said not. I hope that Virgil can review his feelings because you know that today a player is big business.”
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, is also facing a battle to hang on to one of his prized assets. He will tell Philippe Coutinho to shelve his ambition to play for Barcelona after insisting there is no prospect of a sale this summer.
Klopp was last night planning talks with his star Brazilian player at the club’s summer tour base in Hong Kong. It follows Barca’s initial bid of £72million, which was rejected on Thursday.
Coutinho signed a five-year deal last season, and the expectation then was he would remain for a minimum of two more campaigns.
The 25-year-old is settled at Anfield, but Barcelona’s interest will inevitably flatter him. Klopp’s manmanagement skills will be required to ensure the player’s mind is focused on Liverpool.
“Yes, you can say he is not for sale,” said Klopp. “But that’s not since this morning or yesterday, it’s not been any different. Phil is a very important player for us.
“He’s trying to get back his rhythm but there’s no doubt about his quality. He has improved a lot since I’ve been here and he can still improve a lot. The very important message is that we are not a selling club.”