Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk successor is obvious, he's perfect | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk will be a month away from being 36 years old in June 2027.

The towering Dutchman has been a rock in Liverpool's back-line for as long as anyone can remember.

His £70 million transfer from Southampton back in 2017 was frowned upon by many but, in reality, it was probably one of Liverpool's most important transfers ever.

Without him guiding the Reds' defence, they'd have done nowhere near as well as they have over the last few years but, with no new contract being discussed for the defender, this could be his final season as a Liverpool player.

Of course, if given the choice, fans would probably want to keep the centre-back around for a little longer as he's still one of Liverpool's best players.

But, just in case those demands aren't met, it's good to know that there are already some ready-made replacements lined up for Liverpool.

Liverpool are monitoring Nico Schlotterbeck once again

It goes without saying that, whenever Van Dijk is fit, he'll always be used as the Reds' left centre-back.

Despite being right-footed, the 6'4 giant has made that position his own and, even though Joe Gomez was used there during the first 45 minutes of their Carabao Cup clash against Tottenham, it was clear that he wasn't quite ready to take over from Van Dijk just yet.

Although nothing is set in stone yet, the possibility of the Dutchman exiting Liverpool at the end of the current season feels very high at the moment with teams such as AC Milan already trying to set themselves up for a deal.

Of course, as we get closer to January, if there's been no movement in terms of a new contract at Liverpool, more clubs will enter the race and the centre-back will be spoilt for choice.

If this does happen and he does end up leaving, Liverpool need a clear succession plan in place which is why this fresh update from Ekrem Konur about Nico Schlotterbeck's situation is rather intriguing.

"Nico Schlotterbeck is among the young defensive options monitored by Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, he wrote.

"On the radar of European giants.

"Seen as a long-term investment in defence."

Nico Schlotterbeck would be a perfect successor for Virgil van Dijk

The fact that Schlotterbeck is now the same age that Van Dijk was when he joined Liverpool is uncanny.

Both players spent the early years of their careers trying to make a name for themselves with Borussia Dortmund being the place that finally put the German's name on the map.

Since his move there, he's been a revelation and has quickly become one of their most important defenders.

Indeed, he has just signed a new deal with Dortmund but, as a part of the negotiations, Schlotterbeck added in a release clause for certain teams with Liverpool being one of them.

And, even though the Reds have been linked with the defender for a long while now, thanks to the injury he suffered in the summer, the move never came to fruition.

But, now that he's fit and healthy again, his performances have drawn the attention of Liverpool and, since he's a left-sided centre-back, it's clear to see why he would be the perfect player for Liverpool to replace Van Dijk with.

He has plenty of Champions League experience under his belt, and, even though he's never played in the Premier League before, it feels like he's ready to make that step up and finally add some silverware to his personal trophy cabinet.