Liverpool identify £70m Newcastle star to replace Van Dijk in major defensive overhaul | OneFootball

Liverpool are looking to replace Virgil van Dijk with Newcastle United centre-back Malick Thiaw in 2027, according to reports.

The Reds lost plenty of experience in the summer transfer window with Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson among those who moved on to pastures new.

Liverpool did keep hold of Van Dijk, though, despite rumours of interest from Italian giants AC Milan and other clubs over the summer.

There had been talk that his future at the club wasn’t secure with the Netherlands international’s contract running out at the end of this season.

However, Andoni Iraola wanted to keep him at Anfield for at least another season and Van Dijk has started all three of Liverpool’s Premier League matches so far.

Liverpool are forward planning though, with Caught Offside claiming that the Reds have ‘identified Thiaw as one potential successor to Virgil van Dijk, while Man United are also closely monitoring his development’.

The Merseysiders are ‘planning major defensive changes for 2027’ and the ‘biggest obstacle’ obstacle between Liverpool and signing Thiaw is the Magpies’ asking price of between £65m and £70m.

Liverpool already have the potential to activate a £47m option on Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo and it seems unlikely that they would spend another £70m to land Thiaw.

Liverpool need a plan in place – Warnock

Former Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock has urged the Reds to put a plan in place to replace to Van Dijk when he leaves Anfield in the next year or two.

Warnock told PariuriX.com: “I think you’ve always got to have a plan in place. I’m sure Liverpool will have looked at that and how long can they get out of him. The interesting part about this is we don’t know all the data behind the scenes.

“What we often see or hear now is that players are playing and competing at a level that is three-four years below their age bracket, because of the way that nutrition has moved on, sport science.

“And they might be looking at that, thinking, we’ve got another one or two years out of him here, at the highest level.”

Warnock added: “There will come a stage where he might not play as much football and that’s a difficult one for him to come to terms with as well, and that’s something that they’ll have to manage extremely well.

“However, judging by the way Iraola plays his football, if you can press high up the pitch and in midfield and take that pressure off the backline, giving him less to do in games, the longer he plays and the easier the game comes to him.

“If you can protect him, which Liverpool need to do better on a whole by pressing higher up the pitch, I think you get longer out of Virgil van Dijk.”

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher doesn’t think the Reds are currently playing to Van Dijk’s strengths.

Analysing Newcastle’s first goal in Liverpool’s first match of the season, which ended in a 2-2 draw, Carragher said on Sky Sports: “Virgil van Dijk should be higher initially and if he is higher he could then make the challenge there. But we are talking about a defender who is 35, coming towards the end of his career, one of the greatest players we have seen in that position.

“It is very reminiscent of John Terry in that position. Do you remember John Terry under [Andre] Villas-Boas? He does not want to go in there. So you have almost got to play to the strengths of him.”