Liverpool are reportedly putting in the foundations for a summer move to sign Vfl Wolfsburg star Konstantinos Koulierakis but it will depend on whether Virgil van Dijk extends his stay with the Reds.
The Liverpool captain is getting dangerously close to leaving the club for free and the longer sporting director Richard Hughes fails to extend it, the more the need to line up potential replacements.
Allowing van Dijk to leave for free would be a catastrophic failure and one FSG will not find easy to disabuse Liverpool fans of. Especially if Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold follow suit.
While last summer was pivotal, with Jurgen Klopp leaving to be succeeded by Arne Slot, the summer coming might have even more of an impact on the club’s future.
One player Liverpool are reportedly considering if van Dijk leaves in July is Wolfsburg centre-back Konstantinos Koulierakis.
Liverpool make enquiries about signing Koulierakis in the summer
According to a report from Sport Bild, Liverpool have made contact with Wolfsburg over what it would take to sign Koulierakis in the summer transfer window. Real Madrid and AC Milan are two of the clubs also keeping a close eye on his progress in Germany.
Koulierakis made the move from Greece to Germany in the summer when he swapped PAOK Saloniki for Wolfsburg for a fee of £9.7m and is now developing into one of the most attractive defensive options in Europe.
Sport Bild reports: “Scouts from AC Milan, Real Madrid and almost all Premier League clubs crowded into the stands. But one club in particular asked Koulierakis about his services: Liverpool FC.”
Wolfsburg are not keen on selling Koulierakis so soon after acquiring his services. With the 21-year-old under contract until 2029, the Bundesliga are in a powerful position and hope to earn around €40million (£33.2m) from his sale in the next few years.
Would be more straightforward to hang onto van Dijk
I know it’s not as simple as Liverpool deciding they want van Dijk but the hope is that with “good conversations” between the Reds and van Dijk’s representatives ongoing, an agreement can be thrashed out ASAP.
If Liverpool retain his services, their chances of winning games next season will increase drastically.
He really is the best defender in the world so it’s only downhill from here if they cannot reach an agreement over new terms.
