Club spokesman denies Van Dijk deal

A club spokesman for Celtic has rubbished claims that Virgil Van Dijk won’t play on Tuesday night in the Champions League showdown with Malmo.

The Daily Mail reported that a spokesman for the league champions said: “The story is absolute nonsense and Virgil will play on Tuesday. We have no agreement with any club.”

Van Dijk has been heavily linked with a summer move away from Paradise, with Southampton the front-runners to sign the centre-back.

Earlier reports had suggested that Van Dijk was set to leave Celtic for a fee of £10 million and wouldn’t feature in Tuesday’s crucial match in Sweden.

If Celtic qualifies for the Champions league on Tuesday night, the Hoops are set to pocket £16 million and enter the competition at the group stages fro the first time in two years.

The Dutchman is set to leave Celtic before the transfer window closes, with Tuesday night likely to be his last swansong in a Celtic shirt.