Liverpool FC have issued an official apology to Southampton over the problems that have arisen regarding the move for Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk.<\/p>\n
The transfer at one point seemed all but completed, as various reports claimed van Dijk was thoroughly convinced by Jurgen Klopp\u2019s plans for the future of the team and he had therefore decided to reject advances from the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea in favour of a Merseyside move.<\/p>\n
Southampton have, however, always maintained that the player was not for sale, and the fact that five years still remain on his current contract makes their hand strong in the matter. They have therefore opted to report Liverpool to the Premier League for possible \u201ctapping up\u201d of the player. That would mean that Liverpool have spoken to the player before speaking to the club, which in turn means they would have broken Premier League rules.<\/p>\n
As Liverpool are still serving a two-year transfer ban (second year suspended) for academy players for the same offence in regards to a 12-year-old player from Stoke City, the Reds have decided to drop their interest in van Dijk and apologise to Southampton, in order to avoid any action from the Premier League.<\/p>\n