According to The Athletic, Schalke reluctantly allowed Ozan Kabak to join Liverpool in part because he loves Virgil van Dijk.
It’s claimed that the Bundesliga side knew that Kabak’s idol is Van Dijk, and his heart was set on a move to Anfield.
That stance forced Schalke into letting Kabak go, believing that they couldn’t stand in the way of him realising his dream.
Of course, Van Dijk is currently out injured and won’t play again this season having suffered a major knee injury back in October.
As things stand, Kabak is only on loan at Liverpool until the end of the season, meaning he won’t actually have the chance to play with Van Dijk right now.
Kabak’s best chance is to impress and then earn a permanent move to Anfield, which is entirely possible given Liverpool’s centre back issues.
The report notes that Liverpool are paying a £1million loan fee with the potential of another £500,000, whilst there is also an £18million permanent option clause in the deal.
That means the 20-year-old could end up being a long-term Liverpool player – and he could end up playing with Van Dijk after all.
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