Liverpool are reportedly considering a massive £60 million bid to land Southampton defender Virgil Van Dijk if Southampton are willing to sell him
According to a report by Liverpool Echo, Liverpool are set to renew their interest in Virgil Van Dijk this summer and are prepared to shell out a record transfer fee of £60 million for the highly-rated Dutchman. If the deal goes through, it will make Van Dijk the most expensive defender in the world.
It was earlier reported that Van Dijk is keen on making a summer switch to Anfield despite Southampton remaining adamant that he is not for sale. However, a problem did erupt last month for Liverpool since they were being accused of making an illegal approach to land Van Dijk.
The Merseyside club immediately issued an apology and publicly ended their interest in Van Dijk but things seem to be changing now, as the player is back on their radar.
Van Dijk has been the strongest part of Southampton’s defence ever since he made his way into the club from Celtic back in the summer of 2015. His performances have widely established him as one of the best defenders in the English top flight, so it comes as no surprise that Klopp is so keen on securing his services.
Liverpool have been battling it out to complete his signing for a while now. The Reds are struggling to find a dependable partner for Joel Matip after he proved to be a value addition to the squad.
Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan have failed to put up consistent performances, making it clear that Liverpool need a quality central defender. Van Dijk is aerially sound as well and that can potentially be an asset for a side that has often struggled in set piece situations.
Having said that, Southampton have so far managed to retain most of their top players this transfer window and will certainly look to keep it that way. If at all they are forced to let go of yet another top player to Liverpool, they will hope to make the Reds splash quite an amount of cash.
Liverpool are likely to be able to afford the asking price, though, after already breaking their transfer record this season by acquiring Mohammed Salah. And, considering how much they’ve targeted Van Dijk, they will be ready to break the bank yet again, with the player making it known that he wants the move as well.
