It is tough being Southampton manager these days, especially handling the Virgil van Dijk transfer saga. The Dutch defender is the protagonist of the summer saga between Liverpool and Southampton.
The Reds want to sign him, the player wants a move but the Saints are not willing to allow him to leave. Pellegrino, who only recently took charge at Southampton, still has a minor hope of persuading his star player to stay at St. Mary’s (Liverpool Echo).
The 26-year-old had his heart set on the move and reiterated his desire to the club officials during his discussions last month. However, with the club showing reluctance to sell him, Van Dijk refused to go on pre-season tour with Southampton and was subsequently made to train alone.
The player is yet to reintegrate with the rest of the squad but Pellegrino believes that his top player can still be convinced to change his mind and stay back. As quoted by Liverpool Echo, he said:
“I would like to bring the boy and to persuade him that he’s important for us and the club will not sell him.”
“I can’t say no more, because the situation is the boy is aside of the team because he doesn’t want to play for us.”
Tough To Hold On To Van Dijk
Leaving the official stance alone, even Pellegrino knows that holding on to a sulking player is very difficult. He may have been buoyed by the fact that RB Leipzig has held on firmly to Liverpool’s advances of signing Naby Keita. However, Van Dijk’s situation is different and if he submits a formal transfer request, it could have a major impact on the transfer.
The Dutch international has set his mind on the move and practically, holding on to him may not be the right option. We have seen cases where such scenarios affect the player’s performances and none of the parties involved want that to happen.
Southampton could be forced into the move, if Liverpool follow up with a £60million bid – world record fee for a defender. In fact, the Saints have started preparing for his exit as they stepped up efforts to sign Lazio’s Wesley Hoedt in a £12million bid.
Pellegrino too knows that he is just buying time and before the transfer window closes, Van Dijk will don the Red of Liverpool.
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