"I was gobsmacked" - Charlie Austin reveals Manchester United passed up on the opportunity to sign Liverpool superstar in 2017

Former Southampton striker Charlie Austin has disclosed that Manchester United decided against signing Liverpool superstar Virgil van Dijk in the summer of 2017.

Liverpool signed Van Dijk from Southampton for a sum of £75 million in January 2018. While there were concerns about the defender's pricetag initially, he went on to establish himself as a key player for the Reds and one of the finest centre-backs in the world.

Van Dijk has made 171 appearances across all competitions for the Merseyside-based club, contributing to 23 goals in the process. The Netherlands international has helped the side win the Premier League and UEFA Champions League among other trophies, during his time at Anfield so far.

The 30-year-old is currently a linchpin for Jurgen Klopp's team, but he could have joined Liverpool's arch-rivals Manchester United just months before he moved to Merseyside. The Red Devils were in the market for a centre-back in the summer of 2017 and Van Dijk was a target, according to Sky Sports.

Providing insight into Manchester United's interest in Van Dijk, Austin has lifted the lid on a gobsmacking conversation he had with his former team-mate in 2017. The ex-Southampton striker revealed that the defender told him the Red Devils opted to sign Victor Lindelof over him during their time with the Saints. He told talkSPORT:

“I remember at the back end of his [Van Dijk's] Southampton career, we were sitting on the bench together at Chelsea away. I said to him ‘come on Virgil what’s going on, surely Manchester United must have been in for you?' They’re a massive club in England. He said ‘do you know what Chaz, in the summer it was between me and Lindelof, and they went for Lindelof’. Nobody knows that. He told me on the bench and I couldn’t believe it. I was gobsmacked.”

While Van Dijk was linked with a move to Old Trafford, the Red Devils decided to sign Lindelof from Portuguese giants Benfica. The Sweden international cost them a sum of £31 million that summer.

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Did Manchester United miss a trick by not signing Liverpool's Van Dijk?

Van Dijk cost Liverpool £45 million more than what Manchester United spent on Lindelof. The Swede is also three years younger than the Reds superstar.

However, it would not be wrong to say that the Red Devils missed a trick by not signing Van Dijk in 2017. Lindelof has played a total of 189 matches for the Old Trafford outfit, scoring three goals and providing six assists.

The 27-year-old, though, is yet to win a trophy with the Red Devils. Van Dijk, on the other hand, has won five trophies with Jurgen Klopp's side.