Barcelona reportedly want to sign Virgil van Dijk in the summer and with this Liverpool contract expiring at the end of the season, fans are hoping FSG can find a way to renew his deal.
Liverpool’s current situation has all of Europe on red alert. The way things pan out at Anfield this season will have a major ripple effect on the entire summer transfer market.
On one hand, FSG’s summer hire Richard Hughes, the club’s new sporting director, has so far failed to complete key contract extensions for Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
On the other hand, Caiomhin Kelleher is set to leave while there is uncertainty hanging over the futures of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.
Van Dijk, the best defender in the world, is particularly interesting with Barcelona said to be eyeing an ambitious move to take him to Camp Nou.
Barcelona want to take advantage of Virgil van Dijk uncertainty with summer move
“One of the most prominent teams in the race to sign Van Dijk is FC Barcelona”, reports Fichajes. In a report titled “Virgil Van Dijk could make the leap to La Liga”, the Spanish outlet lays out Barcelona’s hopes of signing the titan centre-back.
The 33-year-old is reportedly viewed as “the piece that could reinforce the Blaugrana defence” and despite the Catalonian club’s well-publicised financial quagmire, they are said to be “willing to make adjustments to its squad to ensure that this operation is viable.”
In order to make it happen, Ronald Araujo is said to be key. If the highly-rated defender leaves, it could free up the finances needed to sign him.
Liverpool need to evaluate the cost of replacing van Dijk versus the cost of extending his contract
Liverpool need to seriously consider whether not extending van Dijk’s contract will prove more costly than paying the centre-back what he wants. Players can’t have all the power in negotiations but van Dijk is not just any player.
Not only is he the best defender in the world, he’s also brought glory and success to Liverpool.
Surely he has won the favour required for a massive new contract? It must be said that the Dutchman already earns £220k/week but given he is not showing any signs of regression, it’s fair to assume he will maintain this level for years to come.
Fabrizio Romano recently reported that there is a “very good conversation” ongoing between van Dijk’s agents and Richard Hughes after the player’s reps were spotted at Anfield for the Carabao Cup semi-final win over Spurs last week.
