It would have been the move that would have shocked the English Premier League transfer market. Liverpool was ready to pay a high price for Virgil van Dijk. However, the Reds have ended their interest in the player, even though they were close to signing him.
The reason why? Southampton knew of Jurgen Klopp's meetings with the Dutch player and have reported Liverpool to the Premier League. In fact, Liverpool was supposed to go through Southampton first, before they made contact with the player. If Liverpool followed through with the deal, they could have been banned from making any incoming transfers for two sessions. It was not a risk that Liverpool was willing to take and have apologized to Southampton.
Here is Liverpool's full apology statement: "We apologise to the owner, board of directors and fans of Southampton for any misunderstanding regarding Virgil van Dijk. We respect Southampton's position and can confirm we have ended any interest in the player."
