Liverpool superstar Virgil van Dijk is now 33 years old and is in the final year of his contract at Anfield.
The Dutchman has been at the top of his game so far this season, leading Arne Slot’s defensively sound backline with some aplomb.
News – “Priority” – £192,000-a-week star wants to negotiate deal with Liverpool – Expert
While there is every chance for the Dutch veteran to sign a new deal with the club to stay for a couple of seasons, it might be time for Liverpool to start looking at replacements who can potentially take over from Van Dijk in the years to come.
One player that Liverpool have identified who potentially fits this criteria is Loic Bade. As per AS, in a report that came out last month, the Reds made a move to sign the Sevilla defender to potentially replace the club captain.
Now, as per Caught Offside, Bade has a contract with the La Liga club which is said to have a release clause of about £42m but there’s confidence at Liverpool that they can get the transfer done for a value cheaper than the clause.
Last month, even Vamos mi Sevilla had reported along the same lines, mentioning that despite the release clause, a bid of around £25.1m should do the trick. The Spanish club will be parting ways with one of their biggest talents though, and the longer Liverpool wait, the more the chances of them having to pay close to his release clause.
Sevilla have a track record of developing a great, young French centre-back. Despite now having transitioned into a right-back, Jules Kounde, the Barcelona star made his breakthrough at Sevilla and has since gone on to reach great heights.
Should Liverpool sign Bade when Van Dijk is still at the club, it would give the 24-year-old a chance to learn from the Dutch maestro and become a more refined version of himself when the time comes to take over.
Let’s wait and see how the Reds go about this transfer saga.
