Liverpool Targets Stefan de Vrij After Ending Pursuit of Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool have just received a huge blow to their transfer plans this summer when they were forced to end their pursuit of Virgil van Dijk after a formal complaint was filed by Southampton over claims of an illegal approach made by the Reds.
The club has to put the matter behind them now and move on to their next target. Fortunately, they may already have a backup plan.
According to Sky Italia, the Reds are now targeting Lazio's Stefan de Vrij and they have already placed a €20 million (£17.3 million) bid for the centre-back. However, the offer was reportedly way short of the figure Lazio was expecting for the Dutch international and they rejected it immediately. Apparently, club president Claudio Lotito wants at least €35 million (£30 million) for the defender.
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Lazio have rejected the initial bid, but they may have to sell de Vrij if they can't get him to sign an extension. The centre-back is entering the final year of his contract.
Liverpool actually have a solid chance to sign de Vrij and they will probably come back with a better offer. Some observers also believe they can even convince Lazio to lower the asking price because of his contract.
"If they return to Lazio with a slightly improved offer and sign De Vrij for around £20 million — a good deal for his parent club given his contract situation - Liverpool will have £30million more than if they had splurged it all on Van Dijk," Vincent Ralph said in his report for HITC.
Well, Lazio have obviously heard how much the Reds were willing to pay for van Dijk, so they probably don't want to let de Vrij go cheaply. But €35 million is just too much for a defender with a year remaining on his contract.
Chelsea and Inter Milan have been linked to de Vrij as well in the past.
