Saints go into the final hours of the transfer window as a club in limbo as they have yet to receive a single bid for Virgil Van Dijk.
The Virgil Van Dijk situation seems to be one of the strangest ever in the history of transfer windows, on one hand there is a player who is so desperate to go he cannot fulfill his contract and play for his club and then on the other, despite media speculation there does not seem to be a single club interested in him if we judge it by how many offers that Saints have received which currently stands at the same figure back in May.
It seems that informal talks have taken place between Saints and other clubs about what deal if any would be considered and certainly the media report that Van Dijk's agent has been busy even going as far to suggest that the player himself has again met up with officials from certain clubs, despite not having formal permission to do so by Saints.
So why have there been no bids ?
Liverpool you would have thought would have made a bid, but they appear scared to do so because that would invoke the wrath of the authorities and they could face sanctions for illegal approaces and improper conduct not just in this case but going on from issues with illegal approaches to academy players for which they are already banned from signing youngsters from other English clubs.
They are running scared and that is why they have taken the not so subtle approach of using the player himself to force through a move, they had been hoping that other clubs would step forward with a bid and that Saints would accept, that would then allow them to step in and make their move claiming innocence in the situation and that they had only been interested once Saints had said he could go.
This is probably why there have been no other bids, the likes of Chelsea Manchester City and Arsenal know that Liverpool are only trying to use them as leaverage, that if they bid and agree a deal with Saints that Van Dijk wil turn it down and in will step Liverpool to sign the player and make them look stupid in the process.
In football these days deals are agreed between agents and clubs before bids are made, although it is the wrong way round according to the rules, it does make the process easier and save time all round, the footballing World knows that it is not worth bidding as they will be stool pigeons.
So we go into the final 36 hours of the window with nothing changed from 3 months ago, all we can do now is wait and see if Liverpool will risk a bid and in doing so risk an investigation and almost certain sanctions.
The Anfield club could well come in late in the day having completed it's transfer business for this window they might think it worth the risk and hope that if banned it would merely be till next June and just one window, but it is a big risk.
The strange thing is that Liverpool are not trying to sign anyone else and that shows the substance of their dealings and their agreements with Van Dijk's agent, given that their centre of defence is notoriously leaky and cost them dearly last year, they either have a big £60 million hole in it or they don't, you don't usually spend this sort of money on a player unless you have a real need.
I think we could see a bid in the next day, Liverpool have burn't their bridges and are desperate, their good start to the season aligned with several of their Premier League rivals poor ones has led them to believe they have a decent chance of winning that elusive first Premier League title, they do not want to blow it.
They have gambled big time and now rralise that it could cost them very dearly, but it is all of their own doing and their underhand dealings, if they had approached things in the right manner then it is likely that if they had met Saints valuation then Van Dijk would have been a Liverpool player a month ago, already defensive frailties cost them dearly at Watford, if they should lose out on that title by two points then they may have already paid the price for their behavior, we will find out in 9 months time.
