That's according to ex-Saints star Brett Ormerod, who believes the Dutch defender will end up at Liverpool this summer despite the long-running transfer saga surrounding the 26-year-old.

Liverpool have been trying to sign Van Dijk for several months but have so far been left frustrated in their attempts.

A number of other clubs are keen but Ormerod only sees him moving to Anfield and is confident his exit would not be a nightmare for Mauricio Pellegrino.

Ormerod told Bwin: "I think he’s off to Liverpool if I’m honest.

"A player who is clearly upset and not giving his all for the club can have a detrimental effect on the squad and Southampton are a team that always have a great team spirit and bond.

"At some point, perhaps there is a temptation to cut their losses and take the substantial profit the move will generate.

"There is always a player in Southampton’s academy/youth-set up that can replace their stars. They are one of the best clubs in the world to bring up their own players.

"I think they have one or two targets to replace Van Dijk. I can’t think of another club that has lost some of their best players as often as the Saints but has continued to perform well – quite simply it’s one of the best run clubs in the Premier League."

Van Dijk, who has handed in a transfer request at St Mary's, only signed a new long-term deal with Southampton last summer.

Ormerod has hinted that players have too much power in terms of breaking their contracts but knows the lure from bigger clubs can be too hard to ignore.

Ex-Southampton star Brett Ormerod believes Virgil van Dijk is off to Liverpool
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp wants to sign Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk

He added: "You could say it’s the modern-day footballer now. He signed a new deal but, in some ways, contracts sometimes aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.

"Unfortunately for Southampton, they’re often caught between a rock and a hard place as some of their players will want to make – as they’ll perceive it – a step up.

"Van Dijk is on a fair amount of money and there’s no doubt the club will get a huge profit if they sell him and players often seem to get their own way now.

"Perhaps there needs to be more of a balance between player and club power and the Bosman ruling has arguably put too much control in players’ hands.

"He was happy to sign a contract and one would like to think that he would have wanted to see it out, but situations change in football and heads get turned."