Both Barcelona and Real Madrid are prepared to break the bank to sign Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.
The Dutch international captain joined the Anfield side from Southampton for £75 million in January 2018, and has since established himself as one of the finest defenders in Europe, helping his side win the Champions League last season and come within a single point of winning the Premier League title.
Already recently crowned European Player of the Year, he is favourite to win this year’s Ballon D’Or trophy as well.
Both Spanish clubs are under pressure to perform this season in La Liga and in Europe, and would regard the acquisition of van Dijk as a major boost to their chances of success. However, whether they could persuade Liverpool to part with one of the jewels in their crown is another matter altogether, and would involve the sort of money that might involve a potential world record transfer fee.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.