Van Dijk not for sale, Southampton want core group intact

[February 28, 2017]  (Reuters) - Southampton have no plans to sell defender Virgil van Dijk and are determined to retain the core group of the current team, chairman Ralph Krueger has said.

The 25-year-old van Dijk, who is currently nursing an ankle injury, has grown in influence at Southampton this season with local media linking him to possible moves to Liverpool and Manchester City.

"Virgil is very committed us for a long time and we don't see anything but that in our future," Krueger told British media.

"He is our team captain and we don't see him anywhere else than in red and white stripes," Krueger said following Sunday's 3-2 League Cup final defeat by Manchester United.

The south coast club have allowed players including Sadio Mane, Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana and Victor Wanyama to leave St Mary's but Krueger predicted a quieter summer for the club.

"We are just out of the January transfer window and are striving to keep this group together and to build on it," he said.

"We don't want to do what we did in the last three summers every year. We would like to move away from that and we feel confident this summer will be a lot quieter in Southampton.

Football Soccer Britain - Southampton v Leicester City - Premier League - St Mary's Stadium - 22/1/17 Southampton's Virgil van Dijk Action Images via Reuters / Paul Childs Livepic

"We can keep the core of this team moving forward for a few years. That is going to be important when you see how excellent the group is right now and how exciting the football is."

(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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