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Southampton give Virgil van Dijk time off as Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp eyes January swoop

Now it remains to be seen if deeply disappointed Dutchman will knuckle down and give his all for the South Coast club

VIRGIL van Dijk has been given time off by Southampton following his unsuccessful Liverpool transfer saga.

The Dutch central defender had been hoping Saints would let the Reds proceed with an official bid.

 Virgil van Dijk has been given time off until Monday
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Virgil van Dijk has been given time off until MondayCredit: Getty Images - Getty
 It remains to be seen how co-operative the Dutchman will be following Southampton's refusal to let him join Liverpool
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It remains to be seen how co-operative the Dutchman will be following Southampton's refusal to let him join LiverpoolCredit: PA:Press Association

Instead the South Coast team dug their heels in.

Van Dijk left training on Thursday afternoon and Southampton fan site The Ugly Inside claims he has been given time off.

They indicate he is expected to return to first-team training on Monday morning.

As it was Jurgen Klopp’s men never made a bid for Van Dijk after they were forced to apologise for a “misunderstanding” in their pursuit in June.

Liverpool basically wrecked their hopes of landing the 25-year-old when Southampton reported them to the Premier League over an illegal approach for the player.

A possible deal never got off the ground after that and now Klopp is expected to try again in January.

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Van Dijk handed in a transfer request, while Liverpool were reportedly ready to stump up  to pay £70million.

It remains to be seen if Van Dijk - injured for the second half of last season -  will reintegrate into first-team affairs knuckle down to give his all for the club.

 Van Dijk was jumping for joy at the prospect of signing on at Anfield
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Van Dijk was jumping for joy at the prospect of signing on at AnfieldCredit: AP:Associated Press
 Now Jurgen Klopp is expected to launch another bid in January
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Now Jurgen Klopp is expected to launch another bid in JanuaryCredit: EPA

A similar situation surrounded Luis Suarez at Liverpool a few years ago.


Keep up to date with all the latest news, gossip, rumours and done deals in SunSport's live transfer blog


He returned, instead of joining Arsenal, to have his best season at Anfield.

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