‘Liverpool already have Van Dijk replacement plan’ after transfer announcement
Liverpool are still planning for life after Virgil van Dijk despite the centre-back extending his deal.
Van Dijk delighted the Liverpool fans when he ended months of speculation about his future by signing a new two-year contract at Anfield in April.
Last season was arguably the captain’s best in a Liverpool shirt, with his imperious performances at the back providing the perfect platform for the Reds to win their second Premier League title.
However, Van Dijk turns 34 next week, and Arne Slot will be wary of how much longer the Dutchman can continue to perform at this level.
Bayer Leverkusen sign Jarell Quansah
Part of Van Dijk’s success last season was the excellent partnership the defender formed with Ibrahima Konaté, whose future is still unclear as contract talks appear to have stalled.
However, Konaté did spend some time on the sidelines injured and was duly replaced by Joe Gomez for most of his absence.
This indicated to Jarrel Quansah that he was surplus to requirements at Liverpool, with the Englishman limited to just four starts in the Premier League last season.
| Competition | Appearances | Minutes Played |
| Premier League | 13 | 488′ |
| UEFA Champions League | 4 | 229′ |
| Domestic Cups | 8 | 573′ |
As such, the centre-back has left Liverpool with his move to Bayer Leverkusen now confirmed.
Fabrizio Romano has reported via X (2 July) that the deal between Liverpool and Leverkusen is worth an initial £30million, with £5m in add-ons.
In addition, Liverpool have included a buy-back clause worth over £51m, which can be activated from 2027.
This has been lauded as a clever move by Liverpool’s owners, FSG, while the clause also coincides with the expiry of Van Dijk’s contract, showing that Liverpool might already be thinking about bringing a more mature and experienced Quansah back to Anfield in two years to replace their captain.
Liverpool must prioritise centre-backs
Despite Liverpool already spending heavily in the transfer market, Quansah’s departure has left Slot very light in the centre-back department.
Gomez has had recurrent injury issues over the years, while the question marks still surrounding Konaté’s contract situation and Van Dijk’s age have left Liverpool in a precarious position.
The Reds have been heavily linked with Marc Guéhi, but may need to bring in at least two players in that position to ensure they are not caught short as they compete in four competitions next season.
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