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Cape Town - Southampton manager Claude Puel has fired a warning to potential suitors of Virgil van Dijk, insisting that the Dutch defender will not be sold in January.
The 25-year-old centre-half has been attracting admiring glances from a number of European clubs ahead of the January transfer window, including Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool.
However, Puel has no interest in entertaining offers for the Netherlands international, saying he expects the player to stay put for a few more seasons.
When asked about rumours of impending bids for Van Dijk, Puel told reporters: "For Virgil, the price would be the same in two or three years and he can stay two or three years with us.
"He's an important player for us, for the team, with a good spirit.
"For me, also, with Jose Fonte and Steven Davis, he is a captain of the team because he has a good personality, strong character, quality.
"He's an important player for us and of course he will stay with us."
Van Dijk joined the Saints from Celtic in 2015 for a reported fee of £13million, and has gone on to make 53 appearances in all competitions.
