Saint Albert

That would be an interesting development. Conflicts with the statement "a person close to the player" made in the media about being confident of a move to Liverpool, though.

It would seem like the honourable thing to do, wouldn't it?

It would be a good precedent to set, not selling him despite all this pressure from player and agent. However I'm also concerned this will become a recurring gong show from Jan to next summer, if he stays. Unless one of the big teams discovers in competitive play that their CB pairings are not up snuff or one of them gets a key injury before Sep 1, I can only see Liverpool stumping up anything close to Les and Co's valuation. If you believe the various press reports that came out this summer, VVD started off this summer as a £50 million player (allegedly the amount VVD's slimeball agent was working with during the tapping up process) to £60 million, to something north of £70 million.

If the rumours around Gallagher going on loan to Wolves are true, I can see that Pellegrino may want another striker as back up but Liverpool are the most unlikely of teams for Saints to deal with and I don't think that Ings would add anything we don't already get with Austin. I'd be happy with Barkley - he needs to go to a team that will play him regularly. I had hoped we'd go for him on the off chance that his wage demands were reasonable but Spurs seems the most likely destination. I can't see him coming to Southampton. I sometimes wonder though if he's leaving because of Koeman rather than the money - Ron's put him down in the media a few times.

He came on towards the end of the St. Etienne game.

I think that it may have been his new agent, who turned him against the club and turned him on to the idea of moving elsewhere so soon after signing a long-term contract. Also, I'm starting to think that the timed explosion of "VVD wants Liverpool" stories in the press in June, may have come from his agent rather than Liverpool. I recall reading that one of the journos involved denied getting the story from Liverpool. If that is true, it really only leaves one other alternative.

The Irish Independent articles and Yahoo articles on VVD seem to be accompanying each other this summer via Kevin Palmer. Here's the Yahoo one. It's quite strongly worded: https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/van-dijks-move-liverpool-million-miles-away-angry-saints-dig-heels-134659726.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw

It really is not. He wants to go. Liverpool want him. His agent wants the fee, but none of them get to decide whether or not he leaves. He has five years left on his contract. Only Saints get to decide.

Le Tissier on TalkSport: VVD's antics unprofessional and distasteful... https://talksport.com/football/listen-matt-le-tissier-slams-unprofessional-virgil-van-dijk-and-insists-southampton-could

As good as it may feel for a jilted fanbase, I don't think that publicly embarrassing VVD in this manner is the way to go, particularly if the club has any ambition for him to play for the team again.

The Irish Independent claims to have inside sources at the club. Here they claim that Saints are more determined than ever to keep VVD, and that VVD is "badly advised": http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/badly-advised-virgil-van-dijk-may-have-ruined-his-chances-of-a-dream-move-to-liverpool-35993867.html

So, Dembele of Dortmund was involved in a training ground bust-up. Being cynical, I immediately wondered which club was after him. An Independent report today indicates that he his Barca's real Neymar replacement target. That explains that then, but the Mail thinks that Barca will offer Liverpool £100M for Coutinho.

I don't particularly begrudge a player wanting to move to a bigger club. I do begrudge a player signing a long term contract, and within a year playing footsie with another club, and then acting like a complete douchebag when they don't get their way. Selling him seems like the easiest option, but the club should hold firm. This level of behaviour by Liverpool, the agent and the player should not be rewarded and backing down now after digging in all summer would look poor. I say that with a little trepidation because keeping him could prove to be disruptive for the squad and Pellegrino. It could also risk another Berahino situation. Also, the idea of paying him millions to stay with a club he does not respect, rubs me the wrong way. Also, I assumed that when the club fed the information to the media about reintegrating VVD this week, they had some solid information leading them to believe that they would succeed. Based upon today's news, they did not. Telling the media in advance seems like a mistake to me.

A bit like our midfield then.

Man City have inserted a 50M buyback clause in the sale of Iheanacho to Leicester: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/08/01/man-city-insist-50m-buy-back-option-kelechi-iheanacho-moves/

The article seems to say that Lander are both having difficulty raising the money, and in getting it out of the country. I hope that if she still wants to sell, Kat reopens the bidding.

Would a transfer request change the club's stance? They already know he wants to leave. If I understand it correctly, the only thing a transfer request would do at this stage is cause VVD to lose his loyalty bonus.

A few websites (like HITC) have linked Everton to Hoedt. The Liverpool Echo claim that the inventors of the dugout, wireless telephone and printing press are interested in him but prefer someone with more versatility who is able to play at fullback and in a midfield utility role: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/everton-wesley-hoedt-defensive-cover-13414939

It would probably leave a VVD - Hoedt pairing as the starters, with Yoshi and Stephens on the bench, Bednarek in the U23s for development, and Gardos...somewhere. It could also mean that Hoedt is a VVD replacement, in the event VVD leaves in a subsequent window, much like Austin was signed a window before Pelle's departure. Hoedt sounds like he'd be an excellent signing but I was hoping that Stephens would get a good long run alongside VVD this season.

Klopp said that Coutinho is not for sale at his press conference today.

I'm not sure if VVD returning to the squad means he's staying, but nor would I think that his continued exclusion means that he's def. going. His re-integration would be good news though - the club would be in a stronger position to reject Liverpool and may even have a shot at getting him match fit for the start of the season.

Hoedt was involved in a training ground punch-up on July 14. Using the press / Liverpool logic, he did this to agitate for a move to Southampton.

£16M: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/08/29/southampton-sign-sofiane-boufal-from-lille-for-a-club-record-16m/ Some reports (like the Guardian) had add ons taking it to £21M.

Good point. I think I'll retract my comment about being encouraged...

I won't shed a tear if this deal falls through. Still, I was worried that Lander were simply too broke to finalize the transaction so the article is a little more encouraging on that front.