Van Dijk's move to Liverpool a million miles away as angry Saints dig their heels in

Southampton would have been more open to selling Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool this summer if the player and his agent had gone about it in the right way.

The 26-year-old Dutch international is reported to want to move to Anfield but Liverpool were forced to issue an apology to the Saints after an unsolicited approach to him earlier this year.

The matter was declared closed but van Dijk has reiterated his determination to leave the club and sign for the Reds, Yahoo Sport has learned.

Southampton held talks with van Dijk and his agent in the last 24 hours, with the defender who signed a long-term contract with the club last summer making it clear once again that he had set his heart on a move to Liverpool.

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This has been Van Dijk’s stance since the middle of May, when he told senior Southampton staff that he wanted to leave, before the club were made aware that he had already held ‘extensive’ talks with Liverpool over what the player, his agent and Anfield officials hoped would develop into a £50m summer move.

Yet Southampton have remained firm throughout this summer that they would not sanction a deal for Van Dijk to leave, just a year after he signed a new six-year contract with the club that gave him a chance to make his name in the Premier League.

Liverpool issued an apology to Southampton in June after their illegal approaches for Van Dijk became public and stated they would make no further moves for the Dutch defender unless they were given the green light by Saints officials.

However, Southampton officials are resolute in their desire to stand by their decision not to sell him this summer and informed the Dutch defender that they would not consider any offers from Liverpool or any other club in this transfer window.

Southampton insiders are bemused by van Dijk’s bullish attempts to plot a route out of the club and have told the player and his agent that they would have considered doing a deal with Liverpool if talks between the two clubs had taken place in more conventional fashion.

We understand that Saints are now determined to stand by their decision not to sell, with their stance hardened by the attitude of the player and his agent over the last few months in what they view as highly disrespectful to their club at all levels.

It now appears to be harder than ever for the player to be re-integrated into the Southampton first team set-up, with the player making all the wrong moves as he looks to plot a route to Anfield during this month.