The chase for Virgil van Dijk is heating up into a battle between Liverpool v Everton with Celtic and Southampton certain to be quids in.
With a month to go until the transfer window opens up the two Mersey clubs are gearing up for a shoot out to sign the Dutch defender.
Van Dijk joined Southampton 15 months ago in a £12m deal and is expected to be sold for between three and four times that figure.
Following Everton’s 1-0 defeat at Southampton on Sunday Ronald Koeman was linked with a move for the defender he worked with at St Mary’s last season.
There is a well worn path between Southampton and Liverpool with van Dijk expected to follow in the footsteps of Adam Lallana, Sadio Mane and others.
The Koeman factor has cast a doubt over van Dijk moving to Liverpool but lifelong Anfield fan Mick Quinn has written off the chances of that deal being hijacked.
The Daily Star reported Quinn on TalkSPORT saying: “No, don’t worry about Koeman. Liverpool will blow them [Everton] out of the water. That’s what I’ve been told, anyway.”
Celtic are believed to have a sell on clause of between 10 and 15% of any profit Southampton make on the defender that they signed from Groningen for £2.2m in 2013.