Liverpool prepare to spend €115m as Van Dijk replacement plan begins

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Liverpool are ready to start their long-term plan to replace veteran centre-back Virgil van Dijk, which is set to cost the Anfield club €115 million.

Van Dijk is out of contract at the end of the season, and the likelihood is that the 35-year-old Netherlands international will be leaving Merseyside after more than nine seasons of service at the club.

Andoni Iraola’s side put the wheels of a succession plan into action more than a year ago, and now they are ready to put part of it into action by completing the signing of Ronald Araujo from Barcelona for €55 million, Marca reports.

Liverpool ready to secure Araujo signing

Araujo is currently on loan from Barca, but when the Reds snapped up the Uruguay international in the summer, they secured a purchase option. According to the Spanish source, they are ‘prepared’ to take this up should he maintain his current form.

Curiously, Araujo has been used primarily as a right-back by Iraola, despite arriving at the club as central defensive cover. However, his ability to play on the flank has come in useful with Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong missing, giving the Reds an additional reason to sign him.

Though once described as ‘the best’ centre-back in the world by former Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez, he was not necessarily seen as anything more than a stop-gap option for Liverpool in the summer. His form, however, has changed this stance.

“Ronald needed this change and has come with humility; he's an experienced player from a big club, prepared to play in different positions,” Iraola said when questioned on Araujo.

Meanwhile, the player has echoed his happiness with life at Liverpool.

“I think I'm finding what I needed here, which was to play, feel important, and show my football. It's too early to talk about these things. I'm getting playing time, which is what I want, and then we'll see what happens in the future,” he said.

Araujo is only the first part of Reds’ project

But Araujo is only part of Liverpool’s plan. They also have a buy-back option for England defender Jarell Quansah, who they sold to Bayer Leverkusen little over a year ago.

A player with a similar profile as Araujo, Quansah could potentially be brought back to Liverpool for €60m. The situation of the 23-year-old is therefore something that Iraola’s side will have an eye on given that two additional defensive reinforcements would be welcomed, particularly with uncertainty over the future of Joe Gomez, who, like Van Dijk, will see his contract expire at the end of June.

Liverpool are, therefore, in a very healthy position heading towards next season, with a couple of high-quality young players in the form of Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni already on their books, and the option to sign both Araujo and Quansah to further strengthen their options next summer.

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