There is obviously still plenty of life left in Virgil van Dijk’s legs but, with Liverpool in the market for a new left-sided centre-half this summer, we may be seeing the early signs of a succession plan.
The totemic Dutchman will turn 33 in July, after all. And Liverpool fans know all too well that the risks of a sudden and unexpected decline are very real indeed. The rapid demise of Fabinho, from brilliant to busted flush in the blink of an eye, comes to mind. Concerns over the form of the once-irrepressible Mo Salah are growing too, almost from week to week.
So while Van Dijk may appear to have years at the top level left, it does not take too long for the picture to change. HITC understands that Liverpool are looking at Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly, who will become a free-agent in the summer as things stand.
There is also interest in Levi Colwill at Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio, Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga champion Piero Hincapie, and David Hancko of Dutch giants Feyenoord.
Liverpool eye potential Virgil van Dijk replacements
Hancko’s agent confirmed back in January that both Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain had expressed an interest. And while the former Sparta Prague man did sign a new contract recently, a defender who is already 26 years of age feels unlikely to spend his peak years going up against, with all due respect, NEC Nijmegen, PEC Zwolle and Almere City.
“Not many clubs can buy me,” Hancko now tells Algemeen Dagblad. “If I played for Feyenoord for another ten years, I would be really happy. But it is also normal for a sportsman to strive for the highest.
“I sometimes look at the big clubs in the Champions League, at matches in the Premier League or other major competitions.
“And then I think; ‘How could I (play) in that shirt? Can I do what I can at Feyenoord?'”
There is only one way to find out of course. Hancko, Gazzetta dello Sport say, is valued at around £25 million by Arne Slot’s Eredivisie champions, meaning he is likely to be available for much less than, say, Colwill, Hincapie or Inacio, with a £52 million release clause in the latter’s contract.
“It is part of sport to think (if I could play at a higher level),” adds Hancko. “That has nothing to do with Feyenoord, because it is clear that I love this club, the city and the fans. We won the title together.”
£25m ace opens door to Anfield switch
Hancko, capped nearly 40 times by the Slovakian national team, would have to weigh up the prospect of life at the highest level in Liverpool colours with the prospect of a back-up role. Van Dijk cannot go on forever, of course, but is Hancko patient enough to wait around until the day comes that the former Southampton giant can no longer do the business for a club with domestic and European ambitions?
Hancko, who has spoken openly about his admiration for Van Dijk in the recent past, also admitted a few months ago that he became a ‘Liverpool fan’ after the 2005 Champions League final, and after seeing compatriot Martin Skrtel represent the famous red shirt.
Liverpool, HITC have been told, have been kept abreast of the situations involving Juventus’ Gleison Bremer and Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt too.