Even if Virgil van Dijk signs a new contract in the next few months, keeping him at the club beyond the expriy of his current deal in June 2025, we mightn’t see a whole lot more of him at Anfield after that.
The Reds captain turns 34 next July, and it appears that LFC chiefs are beginning to look towards life after the colossal Dutchman.
According to CaughtOffside, Arne Slot’s scouting team have been instructed to keep a close watch on Loic Bade of Sevilla from now until the end of this season.
The 24-year-old is believed to be on Liverpool’s shortlist of potential successors to Van Dijk, with the Frenchman’s contract having a release clause of more than £42m.
This latest report comes off the back of a claim from Fichajes in recent days that Bade has been of ‘persistent interest’ at Anfield as club chiefs scour the marker for potential replacements for our number 4.
The scouting mission could begin as soon as this evening, when Sevilla make their return to LaLiga action with a home clash against Getafe.
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The 24-year-old had a fleeting loan spell at Nottingham Forest a couple of years ago, but was strangely deemed not ready for the physicality of the Premier League and never made an appearance for the Midlands outfit.
Bade hasn’t suffered for that abortive stint at the City Ground, though, instead going on to establish himself as a centre-back who excels in the tackle and in terms of taking opponents. As per FBref, he ranks in the 97th percentile of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past 12 months for tackles won (2.69) and successful take-ons (0.58) per 90 minutes.
It should be interesting to see how the Sevilla defender performs throughout the season. Replacing Van Dijk will be a formidable task, but if he looks like a viable candidate to do just that, he could reach some lofty heights over the next few years.
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