Virgil van Dijk to Arsenal? Celtic defender admits it is 'great' to be linked with the Gunners

The 23-year-old has represented the Netherlands at Under-21 level

Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk has admitted that it is "great" to be linked with a move to Arsenal, and has urged the Scottish champions to let him him leave this month if the right offer comes in.

The 23-year-old Van Dijk, who has represented the Netherlands at Under-21 level, joined Celtic from Groningen back in June 2013 for a reported £2.6m, and has quickly become an integral part of the starting XI.

"My time at Celtic has gone awfully quickly," he told De Telegraaf.

"I have recently been thinking a bit about my career. I am now 23 and have played at Willem II, FC Groningen and Celtic and am now linked to clubs like Arsenal. Isn't that great?

"There are a lot of clubs interested, but Celtic is holding on to a big transfer fee. The club is clear: they don't want to let me go in the winter, because we're playing for four trophies."

He added: "I understand the point of view from the club and I see it as a compliment that they don't want to let me go. But we have to be realistic. If there's a nice club from England, we have to talk. I want to develop myself as a player, that's for sure."