Southampton set to raise Virgil van Dijk’s price tag to staggering £75million after Liverpool pull out of mega-deal
Kop side's apology after illegally approaching Van Dijk could force a new bidding war for Dutchman
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SOUTHAMPTON could be set to cash in on Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk blunder - by raising his fee to £75million.
Jurgen Klopp's side were forced into an embarrassing climbdown after illegally approaching the Saints defender.
Their proposed move for the £70m-rated star is now in tatters - and Saints are hopeful they can persuade van Dijk to stay.
But it looks increasingly likely there will be a race to sign the defender with some of the Premier League guns set to pounce.
Liverpool confirmed in a statement they have ended "any interest" in Van Dijk - even though he was Klopp's No 1 summer target.
And the report that Saints appear resigned to the fact they could be faced to bat off more offers.
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They add that St Mary's chiefs are looking for a price between £65m and £75m.
Van Dijk moved to the south coast on an £11.5m deal from Celtic in 2015.
The 25-year-old signed a new six-year deal with Southampton just last year.
Saints now expect the Premier League to launch a full inquest into Liverpool's illegal move.
Liverpool are already serving a ban on signing players for their academy – that is why this incident should be looked at seriously.