Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino has refused to rule out selling Virgil van Dijk when the transfer window opens next month.

The Reds were heavily linked with a move to sign Van Dijk early on in the summer transfer window and were ready to smash their transfer record, with the defender handing in an official transfer request.

However, a move failed to materialise after Southampton accused the Merseyside outfit of an alleged illegal ‘tapping up’.

Liverpool FC issued a statement back in June apologising for their conduct and officially ended their interest in the Dutch centre-back.

With the winter window now less than two weeks away from opening, there is likely to be plenty of fresh speculation in the coming days suggesting that the Reds could reignite their interest in Van Dijk.

Saints boss Pellegrino also handed Liverpool some fresh boost, admitting that Van Dijk’s future was uncertain and he was helpless to stop the defender from leaving the club in the January transfer window.

Asked about Van Dijk’s future after Southampton’s loss to Chelsea on Saturday, Pellegrino said (as quoted by The Sport Review):

“I will repeat that I can’t control the market. I’m not the owner of the player. I can have my opinion and this I have given to the technical director, to the chairman. After, the board can decide all together which is the best for the team.”

Earlier in the week, when asked about the Netherlands international’s future, Pellegrino explained (Liverpool Echo):

“I can’t say anything about that because you never know what can happen in the future. We have got a lot of players in our club that the other clubs wants to buy or on loan. Also the market offers not much but we will be ready.”

Van Dijk was left out of the Southampton side that lost 1-0 to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon at Stamford Bridge, with summer signing Wesley Hoedt preferred alongside skipper Maya Yoshida.

“We have to choose the players who want to help the club 100 per cent,” Pellegrino said before the game.

It is crystal clear Van Dijk’s head lies elsewhere and he is not giving his 100% to his current club. The defender is looking for an ambitious move, maybe to Liverpool.

If that’s the case, well, our manager Jurgen Klopp should consider launching a bid in January to test Southampton’s resolve. Should the Dutchman sign for us in January, he would be eligible to play in the Champions League and would certainly be a massive upgrade on our current defenders.

What’s your take on this? Can we land Van Dijk in January?