Newcastle have reportedly been told that they will have to make a high offer in order to force Celtic to sell Virgil van Dijk.
The North East club have already shown interest in the player but the Scottish side have warned that a bid of £8 million would be necessary to secure his signature, according to The Chronicle.
Celtic tell Newcastle United to dig deep if they want to sign Virgil van Dijk
The 22 year old has impressed for Celtic in the last season and is viewed as a promising defender who could make the step up to The Premier League.
The Dutchman began his career at FC Groningen before moving to Celtic last season. He became an important figure at the SPL champions, making 36 appearances for the club.
Newcastle could face competition from a number of clubs though, with both Southampton and Sevilla interested in signing van Djik, according to the same report.
The report follows the announcement that Newcastle have signed Ajax captain Siem de Jong on a six-year deal. The Dutch striker has scored 57 league goals in 168 appearances for the current Eredivisie champions.
Newcastle fans have been crying out for signings for some time. The club’s only significant transfer move in the last year was the loan deal for Loic Remy. While he had a successful spell at St. James Park, he has since returned to his parent club QPR.
The Magpies have also seen star players leave the club in recent time. Top striker Demba Ba left to join Chelsea while a big money offer for Yohan Cabaye saw the talented midfielder move to PSG in January.
With the news that speculation is mounting on Mathieu Debuchy leaving to join Arsenal, Newcastle will be left with a hole to fill in defence. Any fee from Arsenal for the full back who has impressed at The World Cup in Brazil would more than pay for van Dijk.
Carntyne
Jul 2, 2014 at 5:12 pm
£8mill for van Dijk?
You’re havin’ a laugh!
Try £12mill…
vino
Jul 2, 2014 at 7:14 pm
Van Dijk is worth more than 12m. I would say 15m ~20m, hail hail the CELTIC
Joe Kerr
Jul 2, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Nothing is impossible, but why would Virgil move to a lesser club ? The only thing that is big in Newcastle is their cut of the E.P.L. t.v. money. That said, I Love Geordie land, spent many happy times there, all this article does is prove that the journalist (?) responsible would have a far more flourishing career as a stand-up comedian.
John
Jul 3, 2014 at 3:36 pm
Hahahahahahahaha, Newcastle United, merely cannon fodder in the EPL. Which is not even the third best league in western Europe. At the foot of what division are the Geordies lying these days?
Virgil Van Dyke will leave Celtic, not for a bigger club, but for more money, as any worldwide football supporting fan will attest to, they don’t come much bigger than The Famous Glasgow Celtic.
Is it cold in our shadow?