Liverpool are set to be approached for a shock double transfer that would see Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk leave Liverpool together this summer.
Turkish giants Galatasaray are the interested party, looking to continue their trend of signing older elite players and giving them a chance to keep contributing at a high level in the Champions League. Players like Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane and Mauro Icardi are recent examples.
This seems like a crazy transfer rumour, but there are actually some dots that, when connected, convey the idea that the links aren’t as bonkers as they first appear.
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Galatasaray appear to have caught Van Dijk’s eye.
Virgil van Dijk’s Galatasaray connection and interest in a move from Liverpool
The report comes from Turkish Football, who broke the bombshell story on Thursday morning. They claim Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek is working on an ‘ambitious plan’ to lure the two Liverpool legends to Turkey.
We know Salah is looking for his next club, and he is still capable of playing in Europe. It’s not one-sided with Van Dijk either, if this report is to be believed. His close friend Omer Bayram is a former Galatasaray player who they say is an ‘unofficial intermediary’ between the two parties.
They even say Van Dijk ‘gave a green light to the idea of a move’, and has had a ‘private dialogue’ with Victor Osimhen.
Galatasaray - Liverpool
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Look, we knew the 34-year-old wasn’t going to stay at Anfield forever, but the summer is far sooner than anyone expected Van Dijk to go. With Salah leaving Liverpool, losing the captain and one of the mainstays of the side on top of that would be a huge blow for the Reds.
Salah could well join. Galatasaray see adding him to the front line as a game-changer. Osimhen, Icardi and a revived Egyptian would make a lethal front three. That one wouldn’t be a surprise, but a Van Dijk exit would send shockwaves around Merseyside.
There is no indication that Liverpool are involved in talks with Galatasaray and they have Van Dijk contracted for another year, so this could be shut down. But if he is considering it already, who knows where his mind will be after the events of the coming weeks unfold.
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