On the verge of a move, or will Virgil van Dijk stay at Celtic?

The city of Breda has had its fair share of generals, once being a city of military significance. Their latest son, Virgil van Dijk, is now commanding football club Celtic from the back and driving them towards another league title.

Having been born in the North Brabant-based city of the Netherlands, the player was briefly at Willem II, before switching to Groningen, where he made 62 appearances between 2011 and 2013, scoring seven goals in the process.

It was this kind of form which earned him a move across the North Sea to Glasgow giants Celtic, and Van Dijk is going from strength to strength under the club’s new boss Ronny Deila. So much so, that potential Premier League suitors have begun to take an interest, after six goals in 47 appearances.

Arsenal are said to be circling the centre half, and Deila isn’t surprised, suggesting that more clubs could register interest before long. The Norweigian boss, however, wants Van Dijk to stay and help the Bhoys battle on four fronts this season, which includes the Europa League, which Celtic are 80/1 with Coral to win.

“I will not be surprised if there is more interest in Virgil. He is a fantastic footballer and is improving all the time,” Deila said. “Virgil works hard in training and is more focused. He’s going to be expensive but he loves to be here.

“I really hope that we can keep him. That is the priority. If he is going I hope it is to the biggest clubs and not an average Premier League team,” the Bhoys boss continued.

“He has everything you need to do it at that level. But I hope we can keep him to challenge for four competitions. That would be good for him too. He is our player and we have him on a long contract.”