Southampton Angry at Missing out on £75M Van Dijk Payday

A day after reports that Virgil van Dijk had chosen Liverpool over Chelsea and Manchester City, a clearly annoyed Southampton made it known they would be lodging a formal complaint with the league for an illegal approach, claiming Jürgen Klopp had personally played a role in the decision—that Liverpool had tapped up their player.

As yet, there is no word from the league or FA as to whether that complaint has been made, but there have been whispers from the Southampton end detailing the reasons for their displeasure. First and foremost, they appear to be unhappy at having potentially missed out on a bigger payday, having expected in the end to receive as much as £75M for Van Dijk.

In short, they were hoping for a bidding war, and are angry that Liverpool have managed to unfairly frighten off their competition in such a bidding war. Now, the question is what comes next, as Southampton still reportedly expect to sell Van Dijk despite their protestations, and Liverpool still appear to be the club he wants to end up at this summer.

Local outlets like the Daily Echo believe the next move will be for the club to drag its feet, forcing Van Dijk to hand in a transfer request—both giving the club cover with the fans, and meaning the player would lose out on any loyalty payment when he’s transferred, thereby helping to make up the gap between what Saints’ wanted and what they’re likely to get.

Meanwhile on the Liverpool end of it, the club appear to remain confident in eventually landing Van Dijk and, according to multiple reports, are not bothered by or concerned about the recent talk of Southampton making a formal complaint.