Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has decided to call time on his Reds career after seven years on Merseyside.
That's according to an incendiary new report, saying that the 33-year-old – ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best centre-backs in the world right now – has decided to depart Anfield on a free transfer.
Van Dijk is still Liverpool's record signing, but with the futures of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold still unclear heading into the Premier League run-in, it appears the Reds may have to spend big in the summer to replace three of their most important players.
The “lack of recent success” at Liverpool has affected Virgil van Dijk's decision to leave
Since joining Liverpool for around £75 million, Van Dijk has won every trophy available at Anfield – and won the PFA Player of the Year in 2019 in what many to be one of the greatest individual seasons from a defender in English football ever.
Despite now being 33, however, he's still been the outstanding centre-back in the Premier League this term and was thought to be the most simple of Liverpool's contract renewals, with Trent Alexander-Arnold almost certainly joining Real Madrid and Mohamed Salah receiving contract offers from Saudi Arabia.
Now, Spanish outlet Fichajes has produced an extraordinary report to claim that Van Dijk has “decided to end his time” in the Premier League and leave on a Bosman.
The report states that Paris Saint-Germain are interested in the star becoming the rock of their impressive new project. Apparently, “elimination from the Champions League and defeat in the Carabao Cup final have led Van Dijk to look to new horizons”.
FourFourTwo understands, however, that Ibrahima Konate is a more serious target for PSG, with the Frenchman younger and homegrown.
Van Dijk is yet to sign a pre-agreement with an overseas club – but defeats this season are unlikely to have swayed his thinking. It's far more likely that he'll be looking to the future, and in FourFourTwo's view, the Dutchman is still the most likely star to stay.
As a leader in Arne Slot's side, Van Dijk's continuity is crucial in a summer in which the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Andy Robertson and Konate have also been linked with exits. Still, the longer than uncertainty hangs over the defender's future, the more likely a departure appears to be.
Van Dijk is worth €28m, according to Transfermarkt. Liverpool take on Everton in the Merseyside Derby on April 2, when Premier League action returns.
