SOUTHAMPTON legend Matt Le Tissier reckons his old club should splash the cash to sign Virgil van Dijk in the summer.
The Premier League outfit have spent £22.5million over the last two years in luring double-act Victor Wanyama and Fraser Forster from Celtic.
Now Le Tissier insists they should make a third successive pre-season move for the Hoops’ cultured Dutch defender.
Manager Ronald Koeman could be looking for a new centre-half when Belgian Toby Alderweireld returns to Atletico Madrid after his campaign-long loan at the south coast outfit.
Le Tissier said:”I like the look of Van Dijk, I think he’s just what we need.
“He would improve us in that area. We would be looking for a young, strong centre-half who can play the ball and have some pace.
“We’ve got Toby at the moment and I think we have the option to buy him. However, if we don’t get him, then we would be incredibly short.
“The back-up we’ve got isn’t great, so I think Van Dijk would be a terrific signing for the club, if we can get him.”
Hoops boss Ronny Deila, however, is adamant the classy 23-year-old back-four operator is going nowhere.
The Norwegian said: “He will stay a Celtic player. That’s our target, to get stronger.”
Van Dijk, a bargain £2.6million signing from Groningen in June 2013, is under contract until the summer of 2017. After the 1-0 victory at Pittodrie yesterday afternoon, Van Dijk told Sky Sports that Celtic would win 5 in a row as his skipper Scott Brown emphasized the importance of the club keeping the hugely impressive Dutch defender.
Van Dijk has been linked with Southampton, Arsenal, Newcastle and Everton throughout the season and Spurs were the latest to be credited with an interest at the weekend.
It looks like a bidding war could commence which would test Celtic’s resolve to hold onto the player. It would take much more than the fees paid for either Wanyama or Forster for that to happen.
