Liverpool are reportedly set to make a real attempt to address their problems in defence with a double swoop for a pair of Dutch internationals.
Having conceded eight goals in just four Premier League games already this season, Jurgen Klopp has evidently failed to address an issue that blighted his side last year too.
In turn, supporters will surely welcome news that they could be ready to bolster the backline, with The Sun reporting that they’ll act in January and next summer.
First up is a renewed effort to sign Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, with the report noting that the 26-year-old was valued at around £60m this past summer, with Liverpool failing in their attempt to sign him and were forced to publicly apologise after the Saints lodged a complaint against them.
It’s added that Juventus, Arsenal and Chelsea all remain interested in Van Dijk, and so Liverpool will face competition for his signature. Further, it remains to be seen whether or not Southampton allow him to leave in January, having fought so hard to keep him all summer.
Time will tell if there are developments on that front, but the Sun add that Liverpool have their sights set on another Dutch defender, and that’s Lazio star Stefan De Vrij.
The 25-year-old has established himself as a pivotal figure in the Italian capital after recovering from injury problems, but Lazio now face the threat of losing him for nothing when his current contract expires at the end of the season.
In turn, the report claims that Liverpool will make an attempt to snap him up next summer, but again, they’ll have to fight off competition with Inter and Juventus both keen, as per the report.
De Vrij has yet to sign an extension which has raised real question marks over his future at Lazio, and having been valued at £25m this past summer according to the Sun, it looks like he could prove to be a costly loss on and off the pitch.