Liverpool ‘formally notified’ £55m transfer is ON as Van Dijk, Salah BOTH leaving | OneFootball

A £55m signing is there to be made if Liverpool desire it, while Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah could both be heading to the same country, and Jamie Carragher has torched four Reds stars.

Castello Lukeba leaving Leipzig

Liverpool have the chance to line up their successor to Virgil van Dijk by signing Castello Lukeba who will leave RB Leipzig this summer.

The Reds have long lacked for left-footed depth at centre-back, though in truth, that never really mattered given Virgil van Dijk’s incredible availability.

However, with the great Dutchman now 34, the Reds must look to the future sooner rather than later. Not doing so on the right wing with Mohamed Salah, for example, has cost the club dearly this term.

Sources have informed our insider, Graeme Bailey, that Leipzig and Lukeba are in agreement about their plans for the summer – the left-footed centre-back can depart.

There’s a £70m release clause clubs can trigger, but we understand a deal can actually be struck for the lower number of £55m.

A move to the Premier League is anticipated, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all ‘formally notified’ the 23-year-old can be signed at season’s end.

There is one wrinkle in the story as far as Liverpool goes, however, and that’s the ramifications signing Lukeba would have on their chances of landing Yan Diomande too…

Van Dijk & Salah leaving?

It’s no secret Mohamed Salah is leaving Liverpool one year early in the summer, though the latest out of Turkey states captain Van Dijk is jumping ship too.

It’s claimed Turkey’s biggest club, Galatasaray, are lining up the mother of all double coups for the Liverpool legends.

Galatasaray are no stranger to pulling off eye-catching transfers in recent times, with the highest profile example that of Victor Osimhen.

The headline in the piece stated that the Liverpool duo ‘are coming’ with ‘plans to include a star player in a swap deal to reduce the transfer fee.’

Galatasaray are ‘preparing to initiate efforts’ to sign Salah and Van Dijk, while ‘Roland Sallai, the Hungarian national football player currently wearing the yellow and red Galatasaray jersey, could be offered to Liverpool.’

Sallai, who is rated at €30m / £26m by the Turkish giants, and predominantly plays at right-back, would be Liverpool’s third Hungary international on their books, if he joins, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez already at the Premier League club.

Carragher rips Liverpool quartet to shreds

Elsewhere, Reds icon, Jamie Carragher, has ripped into Ibrahima Konate for his dismal display against PSG, and three of the club’s summer signings have also been blamed for the club’s downfall.

Liverpool were lucky to only lose by two against PSG on Wednesday night, and in truth, the tie is probably beyond this current Reds team even with the second leg at Anfield.

When working as a pundit for CBS Sports, Carragher highlighted Ibrahima Konate – who is about to sign a new contract at Anfield – as Liverpool’s biggest problem in Paris.

Whilst defending Van Dijk, Carragher stated: “People have criticised Van Dijk for his performances this season but I think it’s been harsh.

“I think he plays every game, the fella next to him has been awful all season and poor again tonight, Konate, makes a mistake every game, so that’s not easy to play alongside, so I still think he’s been one of Liverpool’s better players, Virgil van Dijk.”

Carragher then turned his ire on a trio of Liverpool’s big-money signings from last summer…