Football’s transfer market was never going to be the same after Neymar’s crazy €222 million move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.

That transfer smashed the world record fee and now selling clubs won’t hesitate to point to that figure whenever a club wants to buy one of their players.

And that’s probably what Southampton did when Liverpool came calling once again for Virgil van Dijk.

The Saints quoted £75 million and, after failing to get the deal over the line in the summer, Liverpool agreed on that price.

It means the Dutchman is now the most expensive defender in history with Liverpool smashing the club-record transfer fee in the process.

Records are tumbling every transfer window and the transfer market is out of control.

PUYOL REACTS TO VAN DIJK MOVE

And it’s something that former Barcelona player Carles Puyol has noted after Van Dijk’s move to Liverpool. Puyol, who was a centre-back himself, thinks the amounts are “crazy” but insists it’s only set to get worse.

"Yes, the players deserve this amount of money, this is how the market is, this is how demand is," Puyol said.

"The amounts are crazy, but this is the market. And I don't think this will stop.

"Yesterday, Virgil van Dijk was bought for £75m. Years ago, this was impossible."

WHAT KLOPP SAID ABOUT POGBA'S FEE

It’s strange to think that when Paul Pogba signed for Manchester United 18 months ago, the £89 million seemed a ludicrous amount.

In fact, even Jurgen Klopp thought it was a silly amount of money at the time.

"If you bring one player in for £100m and he gets injured, then it all goes through the chimney," he said.

"The day that this is football, I'm not in a job anymore, because the game is about playing together. That is how everybody in football understands it. You always want to have the best, but building the group is necessary to be successful.

"Other clubs can go out and spend more money and collect top players. I want to do it differently. I would even do it differently if I could spend that money.

"I don't know exactly how much money we could spend because nobody has told me, 'No, you can't do this.

"If I spend money, it is because I am trying to build a team, a real team. Barcelona did it. You can win championships, you can win titles, but there is a manner in which you want it."