Richard Hughes can pull off his next Liverpool masterclass with one transfer | OneFootball

Richard Hughes has been at the centre of Liverpool's transfer business for the last couple of years.

He spent a huge amount of money at Anfield last term which saw the Reds break the British transfer record twice.

Most people expected Liverpool to be a much better team but, in reality, they were much worse off and Arne Slot even lost his job due to the poor performances of his squad.

These poor performances have led to Liverpool needing to sign even more players this summer despite spending a small fortune last term.

However, in order for them to bring more players in, some may need to be sold with several members of Andoni Iraola's squad already being linked with an exit.

But, before this happens, it feels like Hughes could pull off one final transfer masterclass which could easily set the Reds up for the future.

Richard Hughes needs to sign a successor to Virgil van Dijk before next summer

Virgil van Dijk has been Liverpool's rock for as long as many can remember.

The Dutchman's signing was questioned when Jurgen Klopp first brought him in for £75 million but, since then, he's more than proven his worth.

However, as we enter the 2026-27 season, the centre-back will be in the final year of his contract and, even though the Reds could end up offering him a new deal, no talks have yet emerged about this being a possibility.

In fact, AC Milan have already been linked with a free transfer for Van Dijk in June 2027 as he is their 'dream' defensive target.

If this happens and the Dutchman does exit L4, Liverpool will need a successor for him so, rather than waiting until next summer when the Reds are desperate, Hughes getting ahead of the game and signing a left-sided centre-back now makes a lot of sense.

That way, teams won't try and squeeze every penny out of Liverpool and, they'd also have a year to get used to the way that Iraola plays which will make the transition from Van Dijk to whoever it may be much easier.

Hence why, if Hughes manages to pull the transfer off, it would be yet another masterclass from the Englishman.

Who Liverpool could try and target to replace Virgil van Dijk this summer

Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets

Open an account and place a qualifying bet of £10 at min odds of 1/5 (1.2) or greater.

18+New UK/ROI customers. Min £5 deposit. Bet Credits available on settlement of qualifying bets, capped at £10 stake. Min odds 1/5 (1.20). Bet Credits expire in 7 days. Excl. Cashed Out/Free Bets/Boosted odds. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org

£30 FREECLAIM NOW

18+Gambling can be addictive — please only bet what you can afford to lose. For free support visitBeGambleAware.org or call 0808 8020 133 (free, 24/7). Self-exclude at GAMSTOP.co.uk. AnfieldWatch is not a licensed betting operator. Offers subject to change.

Obviously, replacing Van Dijk isn't going to be easy.

Liverpool have relied on the 6'4 giant to carry their defence since 2017 and, without him, there's no way that the Anfield outfit would have been as successful as they are.

He's made players such as Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate look like world-beaters and, even when they have performed well, he's always managed to pick up the pieces and put in an extraordinary performance.

Since Iraola only has three other senior centre-backs to choose from, with two of them being under the age of 21, the Reds have already been linked with some defenders.

However, as we get deeper into the 2026-27 summer transfer window, less options are becoming available.

But, two players that they could still sign are Nico Schlotterbeck and Micky van de Ven.

Each of them would be exceptional additions, but, as with every player, there are a couple of red flags.

Schlotterbeck is currently out injured so it's unclear when he'd be available to play for Liverpool but, since he's a left-footed centre-back with plenty of experience, he'd be able to fill the Van Dijk void fairly well.

and is one of the fastest defenders in the world.

But as with most of Spurs' players, he's fairly injury prone and, since Liverpool already have Gomez, it could be a risk taking another injury-prone defender on.

There are likely to be many more options for Liverpool to explore but, if they don't manage to get a deal for one of them over the line this summer, they could be in deep trouble next term.