Liverpool facing transfer setbacks as BOTH of their chief targets now appear to be unavailable
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is being frustrated in his summer transfer dealings
Liverpool have spent most of this summer trying to sign Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk and Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita - but it appears that neither player will be allowed to leave their current clubs this summer.
While Van Dijk has made it clear to Southampton that he would like to leave the club to join Liverpool, Independent.ie understands that the Premier League club are planning to talk to their Dutch defender next week after he was left out of a pre-season training camp in recent days.
New Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino hinted that Van Dijk was not in the right frame of mind to train with the rest of his team-mates after a summer of intense speculation over his future.
That fuelled the belief that he would finally be granted his wish of a move to Liverpool, but the latest vibes emerging from senior Southampton sources suggest they will make one last push to get their £70m-rated defender back on side in talks next week.
Southampton chiefs are still furious that Van Dijk held 'detailed transfer talks' with Liverpool earlier this year, even though they had not given the Anfield club permission to speak to the centre-back.
That was followed up by a complaint to the FA over Liverpool's approaches to Van Dijk and a swift apology from the Anfield club that included a vow not to return with an official offer for the player.
Now Southampton chiefs are set to reiterate their desire to hang on to Van Dijk in meetings planned for next week, with the club hoping he will accept their stance and look forward to the season under new boss Pellegrino.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are reported to have given up their pursuit of Leipzig midfielder Keita, with Sky Sports among those suggesting Anfield chiefs have accepted that a deal for the players is not possible this summer.
News that deals for Van Dijk and Keita appear to be out of reach will concern Liverpool fans, with their vital Champions League play-off game a little over two weeks away.
