According to reports from Spain, Liverpool are looking towards a current LaLiga star as a possible successor to a long-serving Anfield stalwart.
Virgil van Dijk is one of three crucial players in Arne Slot’s squad who’ll be out of contract next summer as things stand, and while Reds supporters would surely love to see the captain renewing his commitment for at least another year or two, it appears that boardroom eyes are being cast towards the long-term.
Liverpool monitoring Loic Bade
Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo claimed that Sevilla’s Loic Bade is being monitored by Liverpool as a potential replacement for the Dutch colossus at the heart of our backline.
However, the LaLiga outfit aren’t likely to let him go easily, demanding at least €20m (£16.7m) for his services and already rejecting offers from Stuttgart and Roma during the summer transfer window.
The 24-year-old duly penned a contract extension at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán to 2029, although that doesn’t appear to have stemmed the tide of interest in him.
Bade’s injuries could be a concern
Bade had a spell in the Premier League a couple of years ago with Nottingham Forest, but curiously never played for the Midlands side during his loan spell from Rennes. It’s a different story at Sevilla, though, where he’s already had seven LaLiga outings this term.
That number would probably have been higher were it not for niggling injury problems which sidelined him for part of September and have again struck during the current international break, with the timing nearly identical to the recent issues which have plagued Alexis Mac Allister.
Liverpool would be wise to heed those fitness concerns regarding the French centre-back, whose underlying performance figures over the past year don’t greatly distinguish him from positional peers across Europe’s five main leagues (FBref).
At this moment in time, it’d be hard to envisage him being able to fill the Van Dijk void if the 33-year-old were to move on from Anfield next year, but perhaps he could be a player who’d benefit from having the Dutchman alongside him on the pitch and mentoring him in training.
We’d take these reports with a pinch of salt for now, but it could be interesting to see if these initial rumours gather momentum closer to the January transfer window.
