Stefan de Vrij is still expected to sign his Lazio renewal, despite not having done so yet, and depending on who one chooses to believe, the contract will include a buyout clause of €25m or a little higher.
The Dutch defender is able to secure that because his current deal ends in June, so Lazio are pressured into offering a lower than otherwise clause or risk losing the player for nothing.
Liverpool have been the club most linked with De Vrij, which makes some sense given their need for defensive improvements. Repeatedly linked in Italy as having serious interest in the player, Liverpool surely wouldn’t be too averse to paying €25m in the summer if they can’t get De Vrij for free.
But Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp may not have the transfer option all to himself.
In their ‘confidencial’ snippet on Tuesday, Catalan newspaper Sport say there’s Barcelona interest too. Robert Fernández and Urbano Ortega, responsible for signings at the club, travelled to Rome on Monday to watch Lazio, and specifically De Vrij, face Torino.
The away side won 3-1, thanks partly to Ciro Immobile getting himself sent off, and the Netherlands international didn’t cover himself in glory at the centre of Lazio’s defence.
Should Barcelona’s interest grow then Liverpool face a €25m tussle for De Vrij, should he renew.
