Liverpool have stepped out of the race for the Southampton man but they can save a lot of money by pulling out all the stops for the Lazio defender.
As reported by the BBC, Liverpool have apologised to Southampton and ended their interest in centre-back Virgil van Dijk after claims of an illegal approach for the Dutchman, but considering the 25-year-old’s £50million price tag, the Reds could be better off looking elsewhere anyway.
Shortly after news of Liverpool’s about-turn broke, the Mirror – citing Sky Sports Italia – reported that Jurgen Klopp’s side had bid £17million for Lazio’s Stefan de Vrij and, while that is not enough, if they can get the defender for around £20million it would represent considerably better business than breaking the bank for Van Dijk.
There is no doubting the Southampton player’s quality, but is he really worth a full £30million more than De Vrij, who is the same age as his countryman and has the innate talent required to succeed in the Premier League?
The transfer market prompts increasingly ridiculous outlays and £50million for Van Dijk would have quickly slipped into that bracket, regardless of his quality.
Liverpool need a better defensive option to play alongside Joel Matip, with doubts remaining over Dejan Lovren despite the Croatian’s improvement under Klopp. However the Reds could actually look back on their U-turn with the Southampton star as a pivotal moment in their summer.
If they return to Lazio with a slightly improved offer and sign De Vrij for around £20million – a good deal for his parent club given his contract situation – Liverpool will have £30million more than if they had splurged it all on Van Dijk.
Klopp is a good manager but he should not be a desperate one, and a change of tack could be the best for all concerned.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
