Liverpool prepare £40m+ bid and £110k-p/w deal to sign Van Dijk replacement

Liverpool are already planning for the future under Arne Slot, and are now plotting how to replace their veteran club captain Virgil van Dijk. According to one report, they have discovered his perfect successor.

Virgil van Dijk contract latest

As it stands, Van Dijk will leave Liverpool at the end of the current Premier League season, with his contract at Anfield expiring in July.

The Dutchman is one of three Liverpool lynchpins in that position, with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander Arnold both also free agents come the end of the campaign and the latter being strongly courted by Real Madrid, while Saudi Arabia remains a potential destination for Salah.

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Van Dijk, who has played every minute of the season so far, has expressed his desire to remain at Liverpool for at least another season, but no contract has yet been announced and the 34-year-old is approaching the zenith of his powers, leaving Liverpool needing to look elsewhere for defensive solidity following the mixed performances of both Jarrell Quansah and Ibrahima Konate.

Reds boss Slot tried to defuse the contract situation, claiming that he was not worried about the trio potentially leaving for free in nine months’ time.

“If after the last game of this season is played then it might bother me to think ‘are they here or not?”, he explained.

“But my main focus is now the short-term and I think in football it is mainly about the short-term – especially if you are a manager.”

But replacements will need to be found for the trio eventually, and now they may have identified the heir to Van Dijk’s throne.

Liverpool target Bundesliga man

That comes as Caught Offside report that Liverpool have turned their attentions to Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck in their pursuit of a new left-sided defender.

The German international, who joined Dortmund in 2022, has seen his stock rise with a string of top performances for both club and country.

Still just 24-years-old, he would be a long-term solution to Liverpool’s backline, with Schlotterbeck likely to still have his best years ahead of him.

And as per CaughtOffside, Liverpool are prepared to offer around €50 million for Schlotterbeck [£41.6m] along with “a planned annual salary of €7 million” [£110,000 a week] in what would be a major statement of intent from the Reds.

The 24-year-old could well prove a bargain at that price, having already made close to 100 appearances for Borussia Dortmund in just over two seasons, while he also has 17 caps for Germany to his name.

He was dubbed a “gem” after one “sensational” performance for Dortmund by Football Analyst Premier League Panel on X, and would be a fine successor to Van Dijk should he leave. At £40m, he could even be one of the signings of the summer.