Liverpool have been linked with various players ahead of the January transfer window, and that trend hasn’t stopped so far this week.
However, one player that won’t be moving to Anfield in the New Year is Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, with the Daily Mail reporting that the Reds will not pursue a deal for the Dutchman.
The 25-year-old has established himself as a major asset for the Saints since his move from Celtic, and it’s added that he has a £25m release clause in his deal.
Despite Liverpool’s defensive troubles so far this season, which have seen them concede 18 goals in 14 games, the worst defensive record of the top eight clubs in the Premier League, it’s claimed that they will not be looking to sign Van Dijk to solve their problems.
That will naturally come as a disappointment to some Liverpool fans given the glaring need to sort out their backline, but it remains to be seen if Jurgen Klopp has other plans.
One man that could be brought in to help solve that issue is Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac with the Metro reporting on how Liverpool hope to bring in the 23-year-old as their long-term choice in the role to offer some relief to James Milner who has been admirably filling in.
Manchester City are also interested in the Bosnian international, as per the report which is taken from Sport Bild, and given that he’s out of contract at the end of the season, it’s likely that he will be available in a cut-price deal in January.
Elsewhere, Fiorentina midfielder Matias Vecino has dropped a major hint that he would be open to a move to Liverpool, as he has identified the Merseyside giants as one of the clubs he would love to play for.
The 25-year-old continues to impress in Serie A and has established himself as a key member of Paulo Sousa’s squad in Florence, but he evidently has ambitions of one day moving to the Premier League.
“My dream has always been to play in England, but I don’t know whether I will be here until I am 30 or 35,” he is quoted as saying in an interview with Corriere dello Sport, as per The Express.
“I always liked Liverpool and I would like to follow [Marcos] Alonso and many other team-mates of my national team.”
The midfield may well be an area that Klopp looks to strengthen too in time, but for now, anxious Liverpool supporters will likely be waiting to see what the German tactician does to fix their leaky defence.