Galatasaray Working Towards Signing Liverpool Star | OneFootball

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Galatasaray have begun laying the groundwork for a potential pre-contract agreement with Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, with the Turkish giants hoping to land him on a free transfer next summer.

The 35-year-old has less than 12 months remaining on his current contract, making a departure from Anfield next summer an increasingly realistic possibility.

The prospect of Van Dijk leaving Liverpool had already surfaced during the summer window, with his future attracting interest from several quarters.

Back in March, it was suggested that Van Dijk represented a dream target for Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek.

There had also been claims that the Dutchman was open to a move to Istanbul.

However, nothing concrete materialised, with Liverpool shutting down the prospect of his departure as they remained determined to retain their captain.

Liverpool could just have postponed an exit though as Van Dijk could well move on from Anfield next summer.

According to Turkish broadcaster A Spor, Galatasaray, remain keen on signing Van Dijk and have started work on a potential move for the defender to Istanbul.

The Turkish giants’ executives want to contact the Dutchman and negotiate a pre-contract agreement in January, allowing them to secure his services once his Liverpool contract expires next summer.

However, Galatasaray’s plans could face competition from Real Madrid, who are also suggested to be interested in taking the centre-back on a free transfer next summer, potentially making the pursuit considerably more difficult for the Cimbom.

Los Blancos have already welcomed Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer following the expiration of his Liverpool contract this summer and could look to repeat the same formula with Van Dijk.

Whether Galatasaray can move quickly enough to prevent a similar outcome remains to be seen, with the Cimbom needing to put a compelling proposal to Van Dijk in order to lure him into Turkish football.

A move to Galatasaray would hand Van Dijk the chance to fight for trophies, with the Istanbul side having won the last four Turkish Super Lig titles, and play in the Champions League further into the twilight of his career.