Barcelona are reported to have sent scouts to watch Virgil Van Dijk in the past few weeks and are now weighing up a bid in January, news which will not be well received by Liverpool.
Liverpool fans probably think the same thoughts of Barcelona as Saints fans think of the Anfield club after the Catalan club unsettled Coutinho in the summer transfer window and the worry for them is that they will return in January and this time succeed.
However if Liverpool thought they would spend any money on Virgil Van Dijk then Barca may also blindside them on that after media reports suggested that they are watching the Dutch defender closely.
Van Dijk seems determined to join Liverpool and certainly the other big Premier League clubs who have been linked with him are either not interested in signing him or not interested in being used as a pawn in the saga.
But whilst Van Dijk does not seem to want to play for any other Premier League club other than Liverpool, an offer from a club the size of Barcelona could well change his mind, on both a footballing level and a financial one as well.
From a Saints viewpoint this could well be a good option to end what has been a sorry story of a spoilt brat millionaire footballer and his agent, both of whom think that they can do what they want, when they want.
Word coming out of St Mary's is that Saints will not sell the player to Liverpool under any circumstances due to the behaviour of all involved, so Barcelona will be a get out option that they might welcome with open hands.
Despite the fact that there are still something like 10 weeks till the January window opens , after the story borke last night within hours it was followed by most news outlets carrying it, giving the illusion that Barca are certain to follow up with a huge bid but this is far from the case and at the moment just another click bait story and it will not be the last.