Liverpool Journalist Claims Reds Director Won't Give Up in Chase for Virgil van Dijk

The Liverpool Echo's football editor Andy Kelly has hinted that the Reds could make a fresh attempt to sign Virgil van Dijk in January or at the end of the season, after meeting with club sporting director Michael Edwards.

Liverpool famously failed to sign Van Dijk during the summer window, despite quite a very public (and at times controversial) pursuit that included a now infamous apology from the club back in June. 

While Van Dijk - who declared his desire to leave St. Mary's before the transfer window closed - has now finally been reintegrated into Southampton's first team squad, according to Kelly, Liverpool's attempts to bring him to Anfield may not be over.

Kelly, speaking to Redmen TV, claimed that during a meeting with Edwards, it became clear that Liverpool will not settle for anything other than their first choice transfer targets in the market and hinted that he left with renewed hope that a deal for Van Dijk could yet happen in the near future.

“I think we were right to be hopeful. And I think we’re probably still right to be hopeful going forward, as we move towards January, [and the] end of the season," Kelly said.

“I went up to Melwood, just as the window was starting and the vibe from the club was always, and this was the message really that they wanted to seen to be coming from Michael Edwards as well, was that they weren’t going to accept second best, that Michael Edwards wanted to deliver Jurgen Klopp’s number one choices.

“That’s not giving away any secrets to anyone because everyone will have seen by the way Liverpool acted all window that they wanted number one choices.”

While Liverpool failed to land Van Dijk this summer, Klopp did welcome the arrivals of Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, Dominic Solanke and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.