Van Dijk's Liverpool future dominates headlines amid contract and transfer talk
Virgil van Dijk's situation at Anfield is the story gripping Liverpool supporters right now, with his contract status sparking a flurry of reports covering everything from a new deal to potential successors and even a shock free-transfer exit.
Former teammate Dejan Lovren has been central to much of the discussion. The Liverpool Echo (Liverpool Echo) reports that Lovren has made a prediction on Van Dijk's contract and also touched on the chances of Xabi Alonso one day returning to Anfield as manager, while Liverpool.com (Liverpool.com) gives more detail, saying Lovren has specifically predicted a one-year extension for the club captain and believes Alonso could eventually come back to manage the club. The same Liverpool.com piece (Liverpool.com) frames this as Lovren's prediction on the transfer decision facing Van Dijk this summer.
On the fan perspective, BBC Sport (BBC Sport) speaks to Liverpool supporter Abigail Rudkin, who explains why she wants to see her captain extend his current deal beyond this summer, underlining just how much the contract situation means to the Kop.
While most reports focus on Van Dijk staying, others look at life without him. Goal (Goal) claims Liverpool must pay €100 million for their ideal successor to the Dutch defender, while Sports Mole (Sports Mole) puts a different figure on it, reporting an £85 million target who has been "regularly" monitored ahead of the summer, with Real Madrid also said to be interested in the same player. There's no agreement between the two outlets on the fee or the specific logic behind it, but both point to Liverpool actively planning for a long-term option at centre-back.
Adding another twist, This Is Anfield (This Is Anfield) reports that AC Milan's owner has been described as "crazy" for Van Dijk, while Goal (Goal) goes further, suggesting Milan have emerged as a potential destination for the Liverpool captain on a free transfer - a scenario that would only become possible if his current contract is allowed to run down.
Elsewhere, Liverpool.com (Liverpool.com) reports Lovren has also been discussing fellow defender Ronald Araujo, the Barcelona loanee who has impressed during his spell on Merseyside, with suggestions he could be worth $105 million if Liverpool look to make his move permanent - showing just how much defensive business, incoming and outgoing, is dominating the conversation around Anfield this week.
Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
