Premier League giants Liverpool have been handed a big boost with long-standing target Stefan de Vrij set to leave Serie A outfit Lazio for free.
When you think of the Netherlands, world-class centre-halves do not immediately spring to mind, but an all-Dutch defensive partnership could go some way to solving Liverpool’s Achilles heel.
The Reds splashed out a club record £75 million to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in the January transfer window and could follow that up by bringing his international team-mate to Anfield too.
Barely a window has gone by in which Liverpool have not been linked with Lazio’s Stefan de Vrij and it appears that the Serie A giant’s worst nightmare is about to come true.
De Vrij is out of contract at the end of this season and, despite expectations to the contrary, Lazio’s sporting director Igli Tare has confirmed via The Mirror that he will be leaving the Stadio Olimpico in the summer – for absolutely nothing.
Understandably, Liverpool fans have taken to social media to demand the former Feyenoord defender, who rose to prominence in Louis Van Gaal’s fresh-faced Holland side at the 2014 World Cup, makes the long-awaited move to Merseyside over the summer.
In the eyes of some supporters, Dejan Lovren should be the one who is sacrificed to make way for De Vrij.
The Croatian international is enjoying perhaps his best run in Liverpool’s team since his £20 million move from Southampton in 2014, but Liverpool must be ruthless if they are to progress. For all of Lovren’s recent improvements, De Vrij would probably represent an immediate upgrade.
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