Southampton executive director Les Reed insists that star defender Virgil van Dijk is not for sale this month.
The Dutch powerhouse has been attracting interest from a host of top level Premier League teams who are keen on the 25-year-old.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton are among those linked with a move for Van Dijk, whose WhoScored rating (7.45) is enough for him to feature in the current Premier League team of the season.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo, Reed, however, is adamant that Van Dijk won’t be sold this month.
“Virgil is not for the sale,” Reed stated.
“We haven’t had any bids and if we got any bids we wouldn’t consider them because it just doesn’t make sense to think we would release Virgil van Dijk in midseason when we have still got, we believe, all to play for.
“There haven’t been any enquiries but certainly the status of him at the moment is that he is simply not for sale.”
Jose Fonte’s decision to hand in a transfer request this week will have only strengthened Saints’ resolve to retain Van Dijk’s services this month.
For more stats on Virgil van Dijk, click here to view his WhoScored player page
