Virgil van Dijk Left in Limbo as Southampton Receive No Bids Following Public Transfer Request

Virgil van Dijk's transfer stand off with Southampton will continue for some time yet after it was revealed there had been no concrete offers for his services.

The wantaway defender is being tracked by Premier League clubs Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, according to the Daily Echo, but the three giants are yet to make a formal move to prise Van Dijk away from the south coast.

Van Dijk handed in a transfer request on Monday as he issued a 500-word strong statement giving his version of events to the club's fanbase after the Saints had claimed that his unprofessional behaviour had left them no choice but to fine their captain two weeks' wages.

The Netherlands international is valued at around £60m by Southampton - a fee that all three interested parties would certainly be able to meet.

However, Van Dijk will be left in the lurch for a bit longer as the Reds, Blues and Citizens weigh up whether to pay Southampton's asking price or try to reach a compromise figure that is a tad less than their valuation of the 26-year-old.

Southampton boss Manuel Pellegrino had sat down with Van Dijk and his agent to try and convince the centre-back to stay but, given the ex-Celtic man's desire to leave for the past six months, those discussions proved to be fruitless.

Liverpool were installed as favourites to snap up Van Dijk earlier in the summer, but backed out of any potential move for him after the Saints threatened to report them to the FA over an illegal approach for him.

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp's comments about being happy enough with his centre half options at Anfield have also hinted at waning interest from the Merseysiders, but Southampton are not out of the woods yet over their star player.

Premier League champions Chelsea and Manchester City are still in the race to land his signature, but questions remain as to whether either club would fork out more money after their lavish spending sprees this summer.

Southampton are apparently prepared to let Van Dijk rot in the stands rather than sell him too, and it could well be that this situation drags on for a lot longer if nobody decides to bite the bullet and prise him away.