Respected pundit Gabriele Marcotti says Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk had deals in place to leave St Mary's this summer.

On Twitter, a fan said: "I lost count of how many people said VVD would be joining Liverpool… or Chelsea… or Arsenal…"

And Marcotti replied: "He had a deal in place with two of those clubs… but sometimes stuff happens, as you saw…"

Marcotti then clarified how that was the case, adding: "[Again, with this?] Clubs go to agents direct all the time. And, in this specific case, as u know from LFC's statement, that's what happened.

"[Sure.] Doesn't change the fact that VVD reached deals with other clubs. And when that happens, players tend to move, no?"