Virgil van Dijk very close to leaving Liverpool and joining 26-times league champions – report | OneFootball

A stunning report claims Virgil van Dijk has warmed to the idea of leaving Liverpool after Galatasaray held ‘positive’ talks with the centre-back’s agent.

Liverpool are waving goodbye to mountains of experience this summer, with Andy Robertson joining Tottenham via free agency and Mohamed Salah due to depart.

Ibrahima Konate – a veteran of 183 games for Liverpool – has embarked on a new chapter at Real Madrid.

There’s also genuine chances Curtis Jones, Federico Chiesa and Cody Gakpo – all in the primes of their careers – take flight too.

And according to the latest from Turkish outlet Fotomac, Reds captain, Virgil van Dijk, could be on the move as well.

Their eye-catching headline simply declared: ‘Van Dijk is very close.’ What’s he’s allegedly ‘very close’ to doing is joining Galatasaray.

Virgil van Dijk ‘very close’ to joining Galatasaray – report

The 26-times Turkish champions are reportedly ‘preparing to sell’ Davinson Sanchez and need a new man at the heart of their defence.

Van Dijk is the player in their sights, and Galatasaray have ‘started negotiations’ for the signing of the Dutchman who was termed a ‘world-renowned defender’ in the piece.

Perhaps worryingly for Liverpool, it was then claimed the ‘contact’ that has been made with Van Dijk’s agent and camp ‘has been positive’.

The inference in the reporting is Van Dijk at 34 and with just one year left on his Liverpool deal is ready to call time at Anfield and try something new before it’s too late.

Will Liverpool really sell their captain?

In truth, Liverpool letting Van Dijk go would be a colossal surprise, not least because their centre-back corps especially is woefully inexperienced.

After allowing Konate to depart via free agency, two of Liverpool’s four recognised centre-halves are aged just 19 (Giovanni Leoni) and 20 (Jeremy Jacquet). The other is Joe Gomez who struggles to stay fit.

What’s more, the Turkish press are notorious for their fanciful reporting with regards to transfers, and while he’s now in his mid-30s, Van Dijk remains one of the very best in the world.

Put bluntly, Van Dijk is far too good to be accepting a move to the Turkish Super Lig right now.

And if the Dutchman is secretly hankering for something new, he’ll get that at Liverpool by way of Andoni Iraola and the re-introduction of heavy metal football that the Reds so sorely lacked under Arne Slot.

What’s more, there are claims Van Dijk might be putting his full focus on club football next year and beyond.

After the Netherlands crashed out of the World Cup in the Round of 32 stage, Dutch icon, Ronald De Boer, suggested Van Dijk will call it quits on his international career.

After the dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat to Morocco, De Boer said: “He had the captain’s armband and he was an amazing captain, I think he will say probably that ‘this is my last game’.

“Yes a lot of criticism about not taking the team by the hand, but still, all the respect for Van Dijk because he has been a great captain, but sometimes it’s time to go.”