Daily Echo:

SAINTS legend Matt Le Tissier has hit out at comments attributed to Liverpool icon John Aldridge that suggests Virgil van Dijk could refuse to play to force a move to Anfield.

Le Tissier tweeted: "Have we really stooped so low in football now that ex players are encouraging current ones to go on strike!! #UnbelievableJeff".

His comments came after the Mirror newspaper reported that ex-Liverpool man Aldridge "called on" the Dutchman to force a move by telling Saints he would not play for them.

However, Aldridge, whose comments originally appeared in the Sunday World before being reported in the Mirror, tweeted: "@DailyMirror !shame on you pinching my @sundayworld column!and NOT telling the full story!pooor journalism!"

Before this furore, Aldridge stated in the Sunday World that Van Dijk holds the power to a move away from St Mary's, and a switch to Anfield could be revived if the Dutchman put pressure on Saints.

Liverpool recently dropped all interest in the 25-year-old and were forced into an embarrassing public apology after Saints reported the Reds to the Premier League for an illegal approach for the centre-back.

"Tapping up goes on all the time in the game and even if Liverpool went a bit far in their pursuit of Van Dijk before they spoke to Southampton, I don’t believe this transfer story is dead in the water," Aldridge told the Sunday World.

"Van Dijk needs to make the next move and I reckon he will tell Southampton that he wants out and he wants to go to Liverpool.

"Players and their agents hold all the power these days and if he says he won’t kick another ball for Southampton and demands a move, it will happen.

"I don’t like the way the game has gone in some ways and players can hold clubs to ransom if they want a move and big money offers are coming in, but that the way of the world now.

"Let’s look at the facts here: Southampton paid £13m for this guy a couple of years ago and they could end up making a profit of around £40m on him.

"I believe Celtic have a sell-on clause in the contract that will give them a handy sum of cash, but Southampton will be in the money and the cash they get from selling Van Dijk could give their new manager a massive transfer kitty to work with.

"So I still see this transfer happening one way or the other and I certainly hope it does because I’d like to have seen a little more movement from Liverpool in the transfer market this summer."