Virgil van Dijk on verge of Celtic deal

Virgil van Dijk, left, arrived in Glasgow today to complete his move to Celtic. Picture: Getty

• Virgil van Dijk expected to sign for Celtic today

• Groningen insist on inserting sell-on clause in £2.5m deal

Groningen are set to receive £2.5 million for the player, and insisted on a sell-on clause during negotiations that will see them net more should Celtic sell on the defender.

Van Dijk, who signalled his interest in signing for Celtic earlier this week, is expected to make the move official by this afternoon.

Groningen director of football Hans Nijsland said of the departing defender: “Moving to a fantastic club with Celtic’s great history is a great opportunity for Virgil. It’s clear he is ready for the next step in his progress.”

Nijsland revealed that Groningen transfer policy demands that clubs buying players from them must agree to a sell-on clause in contracts, and cited the sales of Arjen Robben and Luis Suarez as high-profile examples.

“We have always worked on the principle that when we sell players we insist on a clause guaranteeing us a percentage of the profit if they are subsequently sold. We have done it with many players - the clause is always in the structure of any deal.”