Virgil van Dijk snubbed Premier League rival before new Liverpool deal | OneFootball

Chelsea were one of several clubs interested in prising Virgil van Dijk away from Liverpool while his contractual status was uncertain, a report has claimed.

Van Dijk's future remained undecided while he approached the final weeks of his contract before belatedly putting pen to paper on a new deal as the season eased towards its conclusion.

While Van Dijk has subsequently insisted that it was "always Liverpool", numerous clubs were linked with a move for the revered centre-back. Paris Saint-Germain's name repeatedly came up.

The towering Dutchman was caught on camera in conversation with PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi and sporting director Luis Campos after the French champions knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League last 16. PSG promptly quashed the rumours, but it has since emerged that Chelsea held an interest in Van Dijk, according to Mail Sport.

The Blues are said to have explored the option but were met with the overwhelming conclusion that Van Dijk wasn't entertaining any move.

Chelsea, intriguingly, were also thought to have considered a move for Mohamed Salah before he agreed a two-year deal to stay at Liverpool himself. The Egypt international, who had an unhappy spell at Stamford Bridge, was described as leading the tentative interest in a move back to west London, while Chelsea have been positioned as the proactive party in the failed deal for Van Dijk.

Despite their reported interest in two players approaching their mid-30s, Chelsea have typically focused on youthful recruits under the current ownership model. No player over the age of 25 has permanently moved to Stamford Bridge since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arrived in the summer of 2022.

Enzo Maresca has no shortage of centre-backs options although each has their own drawbacks, with fitness issues and reliability concerns that Van Dijk has rarely been forced to consider.