Liverpool READY to sign £80m Van Dijk replacement

The future of Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool is alarmingly uncertain.

Anfield Watch is exclusively reporting that the club and the player have an agreement, but until everything is signed and announced then Liverpool need to operate like Van Dijk won’t be here next season.

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The emergence of Ibrahima Konate into one of the Premier League’s best centre-backs under Arne Slot this season has solidified the spot at right centre-back, but the future on the left is unknown.

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As a result, Liverpool have been sniffing around multiple long-term options in the position.

One of which is currently just on the other side of Stanley Park in the form of Jarrad Branthwaite.

Liverpool eye up local Van Dijk replacement

The Everton man has gone from strength to strength in the past few years and GIVEMESPORT are reporting that it will take up to £80 million to secure the defender’s services.

Liverpool will also face competition from the two Manchester clubs for his signature but have been admirers for “months” according to the report.

Any deal would be unlikely to happen until the summer transfer window, however, as Everton are keen to remain as strong as possible to ensure they remain in the Premier League for next season’s move to the stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock.

Branthwaite’s current deal with the Toffees runs until 2027 and they are hopeful they can extend this before the stadium move, meaning any deal would surely only increase in price.

As much as it is to do with how much more active defending Everton have to do compared to Liverpool, Branthwaite averages 3.44 tackles and interceptions per-90 this season compared to Van Dijk’s 2.53, at a tackle rate of 71.4% to Van Dijk’s worryingly low 37.5%.

There is a reason three clubs of the size of Liverpool and the Manchester pair are after him. He is a full England international for a reason.

And Liverpool see him as a long-term defensive pillar that can work with Arne Slot much like Konate and Ryan Gravenberch have done to seismic results so far this season.