As Liverpool look to find a long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk, journalist Pete O’Rourke has revealed two centre-backs on the Reds’ shortlist.
It has been a season to forget for Liverpool’s defence, with goals conceded at will and too many players underperforming by their high standards.
Ibrahima Konate has been particularly poor, and needs to up his game if he signs a contract extension at Anfield, and even Van Dijk could do with returning to his best.
Liverpool’s captain turns 35 this summer, however, and the wheels need to be in motion to find an eventual replacement for him, which is going to be an unenviable task.
Speaking to Football Insider, O’Rourke mentioned Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck and Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni has two leading option to succeed Van Dijk into the future:
“(Liverpool) have been linked with the likes of Nico Schlotterbeck, Alessandro Bastoni, similar left-sided centre backs (to Inacio). It’s obviously an area of the team that Liverpool will have to plan for in the future with Van Dijk coming to the end of his career.”
Liverpool must find perfect Virgil van Dijk successor?
As mentioned, Van Dijk is bordering on irreplaceable, given his legendary status, with the same applying to Mohamed Salah and Alisson.
But Liverpool must pick the strongest possible option to come in, whether that be this summer or in 2027, ensuring they fill the void as effectively as possible.
Giovanni Leoni and incoming signing Jeremy Jacquet represent excellent young squad players for the Reds, but signing Schlotterbeck or Bastoni would feel like shrewd business.
They are 26 and 27, respectively, and are proven Champions League-level players, so they could come straight in and potentially be an elite leader for Liverpool for five or six years.
Opinion will be divided over who the better choice would be – Schlotterbeck has averaged 4.7 clearances per game in the Bundesliga this season, while Bastoni has completed 89.9% of his passes in the Champions League.
Both are impressive in and out of possession, and it is easy to see either of them being a success for Liverpool, even though they will likely never reach Van Dijk’s heights.