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Southampton determined to hold on to Van Dijk

Cape Town - Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger insists the club are determined to hold on to captain Virgil van Dijk, amid reported interest from Manchester City and Liverpool.

Van Dijk has been linked with big-money moves to City and the Reds, but Krueger believes the centre-back is committed to the Saints.

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

"Virgil is very committed to us for a long time and we don't see anything but that in our future. He is our team captain and we don't see him anywhere else than in red and white stripes."

Southampton have been a selling club in recent years, with the likes of Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana, Morgan Schneiderlin, Graziano Pelle, and Sadio Mane all heading for the exit. However, Krueger wants to put an end to that tendency.

He added: "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 and we can keep the core of this team moving forward for a few years."

The Saints next face a tricky trip to Vicarage Road Stadium where they will face Watford in an English Premiership clash on Saturday with just a point separating the two sides in the log standings.

Kick off is at 17:00.

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