Real Madrid target Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool put €115m replacement plan in motion

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Virgil van Dijk will be a free agent at the end of the season if he does not sign a new Liverpool contract, and Real Madrid are ready to make a move for the Dutchman. But the Reds have a €115 million plan ready to launch.

Van Dijk signed a two-year deal with the Reds in the spring of 2025 when it appeared he was heading towards free agency, but there are no guarantees that Liverpool will offer the veteran another new deal.

Instead, the surprise possibility of a move to Real Madrid has opened up, with Mundo Deportivo claiming that Los Blancos are one of the clubs interested in picking up the former Celtic and Southampton star on a free transfer next summer.

Real Madrid are attracted to the fact that Van Dijk will be available for nothing next summer – the same way they signed Ibrahima Konate from the Anfield club just a matter of weeks ago.

Manager Jose Mourinho wanted another centre-back option and has instead been forced to settle for Raul Asensio, who appeared destined to leave the club.

Mourinho is unlikely to be concerned by Van Dijk’s age, with the Portuguese known to trust veteran players.

AC Milan, Inter Miami and Galatasaray have all been linked with a move for Van Dijk.

Liverpool’s €115m Van Dijk replacement plan already in action

Liverpool are ready to invest heavily to secure a replacement for Van Dijk, with the club having long started preparations for the end of his era on Merseyside.

The deal that took Jarrell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen is central to their plans. They sold the young centre-back to the Bundesliga club in a deal worth €35m but crucially included a buy-back clause worth €60m that will come into effect next summer.

Quansah may be a Leverkusen player, but it’s Liverpool who control his future. The 23-year-old has gained game time and experience in Germany, with his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) peaking at €46.9m since moving. Steeped in the club’s history, there’s little doubt he will be a strong option to return.

And departed sporting director Richard Hughes bought Liverpool an insurance option via a loan move for Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo – a player once branded the world’s best centre-back by ex-Blaugrana head coach Xavi Hernandez.

Araujo has made a strong start to a one-year loan move at Anfield in what could be seen as a dress rehearsal to take Van Dijk’s spot as the leader of the Liverpool rearguard.

The Uruguayan comes off the back of a difficult campaign at Barcelona on many levels, yet his potential is undoubted and the deal appears a low-risk gamble to bring some additional experience to Merseyside following the departure of Konate to Real Madrid.

Crucially, Liverpool have agreed a purchase option worth €55m for Araujo.

Liverpool have given themselves options

While the inevitable departure of Van Dijk from Liverpool’s starting XI grows ever closer, the Anfield side have put in place the structure to ensure a seamless transition.

Both Quansah and Araujo (by next summer) will be intimately familiar with the workings of the club, giving the Reds two strong shots at having a ready-made replacement for the Dutchman. It may be that they even sign both for a combined €115m in a deal that would totally renovate the rearguard.

Liverpool’s business at the back might have been criticised last summer for leaving Arne Slot short of options, but the long-term outlook is far rosier on Merseyside, even if the iconic figure of Van Dijk is entering his final months at the club.

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