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Virgil Van Dijk has been urged to go on strike to force through a move from Southampton to Liverpool.

Liverpool were forced to issue an embarrassing public apology after being accused of tapping up Van Dijk earlier this month.

But Anfield legend John Aldridge said: “Players and their agents hold all the power these days and if he says he won’t kick another ball for Southampton and demands a move, it will happen.”

Liverpool also insisted they had dropped their interest in signing the £70m-rated Dutch defender following Southampton’s complaint to the Premier League.

But with Liverpool previously convinced that Anfield was Van Dijk’s preferred destination, Aldridge encouraged him to take matters into his own hands.

He added: “Tapping up goes on all the time in the game and even if Liverpool went a bit far in their pursuit of Van Dijk before they spoke to Southampton, I don’t believe this transfer story is dead in the water.

“Van Dijk needs to make the next move and I reckon he will tell Southampton that he wants out and he wants to go to Liverpool.

“I don’t like the way the game has gone in some ways and players can hold clubs to ransom if they want a move and big money offers are coming in, but that is the way of the world now.

(Image: Mark Kolbe/Liverpool FC via Getty)

“I still see this transfer happening one way or the other and I certainly hope it does because I’d like to have seen a little more movement from Liverpool in the transfer market this summer.”

Aldridge is a regular contributor to Liverpool’s in-house TV station though was not on club duty when giving his take on Van Dijk.

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Though his comments might still cause concern at Liverpool who are understood to be “desperate” for the Van Dijk furore to disappear.

For their part, Southampton’s stance remains that Van Dijk is going nowhere and especially not to Liverpool.