Liverpool will not make a move for Virgil van Dijk until Southampton give them permission, so should they target Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson instead?
The Reds were forced to make a public apology in June after they were reported to the Premier League by the Saints for allegedly tapping up the Netherlands international.
Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring their first goal
Van Dijk is currently training alone after telling manager Mauricio Pellegrino he wants to leave St Mary’s, but the Merseysiders are more concerned with repairing any damage between the two clubs than signing the centre-back.
Therefore, it would perhaps be worth them looking elsewhere and arguably Ben Gibson would be the ideal option. A different report from the Mail says that Middlesbrough have rejected a third bid from West Bromwich Albion for Gibson of around £21m.
Boro are resigned to losing the 24-year-old, but apparently only want to sell to a top six club, with rumoured interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
However, after an impressive season in the English top flight in 2016/17, perhaps Jurgen Klopp should take a closer look at Gibson?
The Englishman’s team may have been relegated, but he was part of a defence that conceded fewer goals than all but the division’s top ten sides and was included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad towards the end of the campaign.
Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson applauds fans after the game
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