Liverpool have announced the signing of Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk.
The fee, which is believed to be in the region of £75M, makes the player the world's most expensive defender.
He will wear the number 4 shirt at Liverpool, the club have announced, and will officially join on Monday 1st January 2018.
— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) 27 December 2017
The player was a top target for Jurgen Klopp but after the threat of being reported for an illegal summer approach Liverpool decided not to make a transfer bid until the January window.
Southampton were reticent to sell to Liverpool and van Dijk was rumoured to have also become a top target for Pep Guardiola's Man City.
However, the defender will now become a Liverpool player in just a couple of days time.
Southampton, on their website, said:
The club wishes Virgil well in his future when the deal is completed on January 1st 2018.
Needless to say, the signing is also Liverpool's record signing.
