The towering central defender, who cost £2.6 million, was a gold strike for the Hoops.
Despite the January transfer window, Celtic managed to keep all of its star players without losing any of them to teams willing to pay top dollar for them.
The Hoops let David Turnbull, who was unable to establish himself as a consistent starter, sign a permanent contract with Cardiff, while Mikey Johnston, Marco Tilio, and Hyeok-kyu Kwon were sent out on loan.
As evidenced by the recent purchases and subsequent sales of players like Victor Wanyama, Fraser Forster, Odsonne Edouard, Jota, and Kristoffer Ajer for higher prices, Celtic have a long history of cultivating and profiting from potential.
Virgil van Dijk, the current captain of Liverpool and the Netherlands, is another outstanding example of their incredible job in the transfer market, and the Hoops struck gold with him.
Celtic’s purchase price for Virgil van Dijk
In the summer of 2013, Neil Lennon moved quickly to broker a deal for the 21-year-old central defender to join Groningen of the Netherlands for an estimated £2.6 million.
The 6 foot 5 colossus made 47 appearances in all competitions during the 2013–14 season, including 36 in the Scottish Premiership and 6 in the Champions League, quickly establishing himself as a regular starter for the Northern Irish manager.
The next season, Van Dijk participated in an incredible 58 games in all competitions for the Hoops, contributing an impressive 10 goals and eight assists as a center-back.
His performances for Celtic throughout those two seasons, together with 10 appearances at the beginning of the 2015–16 campaign, attracted attention in the summer of 2015 from countries south of the border.
How much Virgil van Dijk was traded for by Celtic
To strengthen the defensive options of then-boss Ronald Koeman, Premier League team Southampton emerged victorious in the fight to sign the Dutch behemoth for an alleged sum of £13 million.
This meant that, just two years after paying Groningen £2.6 million to recruit him, the Glasgow giants had made 400% of their money back. In 2015, the Saints paid an additional £10.4 million for his services.
Therefore, Lennon struck gold when he signed the tall center-back for Celtic in 2013, as he not only produced excellent play on the field but also brought in a sizable number of money for the team in the future.
Now that summer transfer window is approaching, Brendan Rodgers needs to start scoping out potential targets in the hopes of finding the next Van Dijk, who might bring in millions for the team.
| Virgil van Dijk transfer history | ||
|---|---|---|
| Transfer | Year | Fee |
| Willem II to Groningen | 2010 | £0 |
| Groningen to Celtic | 2013 | £2.6m |
| Celtic to Southampton | 2015 | £13m |
| Southampton to Liverpool | 2018 | £75m |
| Valuations via BBC and Sky Sports | ||
The formidable defender afterwards joined Premier League powerhouse Liverpool for an incredible £75 million, as the table above illustrates, meaning that the Saints also made a sizable profit on him.
Since moving to Anfield in January 2018, the 32-year-old star has made 256 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, and he has already won the Premier League and the Champions League once each.
Given his age and the amount they paid for him, it seems unlikely that Liverpool will be able to sell him for a profit to continue the trend, but they have been rewarded with more than 200 games and several big championships won.
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