Van Dijk set to move for £8m deal

Celtic look set to lose prize asset Virgil van Dijk ahead of tomorrow’s close of the transfer window.

The Dutch star shocked the Hoops when informing them he wished to quit, despite being just 14 months into a four year contract!

His dramatic move followed the club’s failure to make the group stages of the Champions League.

Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell responded by stressing there was no financial necessity to sell.

But last night it appeared odds-on the 23-year-old would get his way, with a string of clubs lining up to try and test the Parkhead Board’s resolve with bids in excess of £8-million-plus.

English North-East rivals Newcastle United and Sunderland have both indicated their desire to make the signing.

They may well be beaten to his signature, though, by high-flying Southampton.

Ronald Koeman has led his team to the top six of the English Premier, thanks in part to the displays of Fraser Forster who he bought from Celtic for £10m earlier in the summer.

Now keen to re-unite Forster and Van Dijk in Saints defence, he has the financial clout to see off his rivals, having taken in £100-million through a host of big-money sales.

There is foreign competition, too, from Napoli of Italy and Germans SV Hamburg.

While Celtic will be all too aware how the sale will be viewed by supporters, a fee of even £8m would represent a huge profit on the £2.6-million they paid Groningen for the player.