Celtic wait for their van Dijk dividend
Football - Dundee v Celtic - Scottish Premiership - Dens Park - 22/4/15 Cetic's Virgil van Dijk celebrates with Leigh Griffiths after scoring the second goal for his side Action Images via Reuters / Lee Smith Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Celtic are waiting for an ambitious transfer triangle to be completed to pick up a £10m windfall.
Throughout the transfer window Southampton have been adamant that Virgil van Dijk isn’t for sale.
The Dutchman was valued in the £40m range at the turn of the year but incredibly- without kicking a ball due to an ankle injury- his value has almost doubled with transfer inflation going through the roof following Neymar’s transfer to Paris St Germain.
Like Southampton, Liverpool have so far resisted Barcelona’s interest in Philippe Countinho but with £140m expected to be put on the table it could kick off a stampede of transfer activity.
Losing the young Brazilian would be a blow to Liverpool’s aspirations for the season but that could be cushioned by the arrivals of Van Dijk and Monaco’s Thomas Lemar.
A number of English newspapers are speculating about a £135/140m double deal that would see the Countinho fee split between Southampton and Monaco- with a £10m slice heading to Celtic for a player bought in 2013 and sold in 2015.