That Liverpool are looking for a new centre-back isn’t exactly news, and that Virgil Van Dijk is their favourite for the job no longer surprises anyone.
It’s been covered many, many times, and so has the Reds’ interest in an alternative if the Southampton defender proves to be, once again, too difficult to prise away from St Mary’s.
The Italian media have been adamant Stefan De Vrij is on Jürgen Klopp’s list, especially considering he is yet to renew his contract with Lazio despite many claims he’s very close to doing so.
Of course, they aren’t the only ones who have spotted a bargain, and Barcelona were briefly linked by the Spanish media, with both Sport and Marca mentioning some interest, but the former of the two have just put an end to that.
On Thursday, the Catalan outlet state that despite watching him a few times and knowing what he can bring to the table for a very low price, injury worries are putting them off from making a move, which is somewhat understandable after all the issues they’ve had with Thomas Vermaelen.
That’s Sport basically telling Liverpool “You have him”, and while reports suggest he will sign a new deal and be available for €25m thanks to a release clause, that still hasn’t been made official.
