Liverpool central defender Virgil van Dijk has started each of the team’s matches in the Premier League and Champions League. He has emerged as one of Arne Slot’s most indispensable options and rightly so. However, with the player turning 34 next summer and having less than a year on his contract, the Reds need to replace him with a long-term option.
According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have three players on their wish-list with a new arrival expected next summer. Nottingham Forest’s Murillo is said to be the leading name on Liverpool’s radar while the report adds that Sporting Lisbon centre back Gonzalo Inacio and Sevilla youngster Loic Bade are also being looked at ahead of a possible swoop in 2025.
TEAMtalk adds that all three players will cost upwards of £50 million, with Murillo expected to be particularly expensive as Nottingham Forest would seek £60 to £70 million for his sale. That said, Bade could be available for slightly cheaper as Sevilla’s demands might be negotiable though they are demanding the payment of his £50 million release clause.
Inacio best-suited to replace Van Dijk
Gonzalo Inacio could be another one of Sporting Lisbon’s key figures to depart next season, possibly following Ruben Amorim and Viktor Gyokeres. The Portuguese defender’s £50 million release clause means his employer’s can do little to hold him back if a club pays the amount and it does look like a price tag that Liverpool can very comfortably afford to bear.
Inacio is slightly over six feet tall and promises to be a good aerial option. He is good off set-pieces too and has a good passing range, all of which are some of Van Dijk’s most distinctive qualities. He is just 23 years of age and can prove to be a player on whom money is well-spent in the longer run.
If Liverpool are keen on signing a player tried and tested in the Premier League as they did with Van Dijk from Southampton in 2018, Murillo would not be a bad choice. He has led Nottingham’s surge to seventh place in the Premier League this season but could be a considerably expensive option in case the team plans on rebuilding other areas too.
Meanwhile, Van Dijk’s contract extension should also be an agenda for the Reds though keeping in mind that he may have a year or two left at the elite level, in which case the transitional phase for his replacement will be an easier affair and also provide Liverpool with enough time to wait for the correct signing in the transfer market.
