Southampton director stresses Van Dijk, Cedric aren't for sale

Southampton will shun its reputation of selling off its greatest assets and retain the services of Virgil van Dijk and Cedric Soares this summer, said club chief executive and vice chairman Les Reed.

Van Dijk was subject to much published interest from Liverpool which abated when the Merseyside outfit was accused of illegally approaching the £70-million-valued centre-back. Latest reports state Liverpool will face no punishment following these allegations.

Cedric's name has also cropped up in the relentless rumour mill, as the right-back is linked to Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and La Liga behemoth Barcelona.

But he and Van Dijk are going nowhere.

"None of those players are for sale. I can't make it any plainer than that and that's the way we mean to go forward," Reed told Sky Sports News HQ.

"We built this squad over some time and think we have a strong squad. We will fine-tune it but, other than that, we are looking forward to a very competitive season next year and we plan to go forward on that basis."

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There have been some low-key outgoings at St Mary's this summer, but overall the club is one of the least active in the transfer window, so far. That could be addressed soon, however, with The Daily Mail's Simon Jones expecting defender Jan Bednarek to arrive from Lech Poznan imminently, and The Mirror's Nick Mashiter reporting last week that West Bromwich Albion is set to rekindle its interest in Saints forward Jay Rodriguez.

"We track players over years and when the new manager comes in like Mauricio, we take him through that process," Reed continued. "He'd done his homework on our squad and we don't believe we need to turn over players every year just to freshen things up.

"We've got a strong squad now and it would be about adding players bringing more value and power. It's not broken so there is no need to bring in players just because of fashion or to get people excited in the transfer market."

Southampton begins the 2017-18 Premier League season with a visit from Swansea City currently slated for Aug. 12.