Thursday, 20th June, 2013
Scottish giants Celtic are closing in on snapping up Dutch Under-21 international Virgil van Dijk.
The defender has arrived in Glasgow for talks, and he has hailed the club as a giant. Van Dijk also explained that he is looking forward to playing in the Champions League.
The 21-year-old FC Groningen centre-back revealed his admiration for the Celts this week, and insisted that moving to the club will be an important step for him.
"Celtic is a big club and it is fantastic to be here. They play in the Champions League and that is a big thing for me”, Van Dijk was quoted as saying by the BBC.
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"I am a defender who likes to play football, not a defender who plays the long ball all the time."
Van Dijk started his youth career with Willem II in 2009, before moving to play for the Green-White Army in the following year.
He clocked up 32 appearances in the Dutch top flight in the 2012/13 season, scoring twice, and assisting three times.
Groningen finished seventh in the Eredivisie last season, and it is thought that the club are ready to settle for €3m from the Hoops for the player.
Van Dijk also spoke about Celtic’s season – where they bagged a domestic double – and went on to say that he was watching during Neil Lennon’s side’s clash against Spanish heavyweights Barcelona in the Champions League group stage.
"The game against Barcelona was a big game and I watched it at home.
"It was a very good game. I look forward to playing in the Champions League”, he added.
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