Liverpool’s transfer target Virgil van Dijk has told Southampton that he is unavailable for their pre-season games and he is refusing to travel to France with the squad, as per the Daily Echo.

Van Dijk is adamant that he will secure a move to Anfield this summer despite the Reds publicly stating that they had withdrawn their interest.

Southampton have consistently reiterated their stance on the situation with Van Dijk and have maintained that they are not willing to sell any of their key players this summer. However, with the Dutchman clearly kicking up a fuss behind the scenes, Saints’ could now be forced to sell him.

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Although Van Dijk is yet to submit an official transfer request to the St Mary’s chiefs, his intentions are clear and there is a sense that he will look to do all it takes to secure a dream move to Anfield.

It’s looking as though it will take a fee of around £70 million at least to lure Van Dijk away from the south coast this summer, which would be a record-breaking fee for a defender and would smash Liverpool’s transfer record.