The Virgil van Dijk signing in 2018 has been one of Liverpool’s greatest. This season, the captain leads the club to what is heading for a title in the world’s toughest league. The Dutchman has thus sealed the Liverpool defence to 2 titles in the Premier League, 1 in the Champions League and a handful of cup titles. With less than four months to go before his contract expires, Liverpool are working in high gear to ensure that the central defence will not crack if Van Dijk leaves the club.
Few, if any, can replace the world’s best centre-back, but it was also Liverpool and Jürgen Klopp who helped develop Van Dijk into world class, now it’s about bringing in the centre-back who can be “shaped” into the same.
According to Bild, Liverpool have now shown strong interest in Nico Schlottenbeck. Borussia Dortmund secured the German international from Freiburg in 2022, now the 25-year-old stands with 121 games in the yellow-and-black shirt.
Dortmund have a contract with Schlottenbeck until 2027, with a market value of €40 million (transfermarkt) it will take a lot for Dortmund to give up the centre-back without a fight. According to Bild, Liverpool have signalled they are prepared to fork out over €50 million for one of the few players with the potential to replace Van Dijk.
