Liverpool on brink of finalising Virgil van Dijk replacement

Liverpool on brink of finalising Virgil van Dijk replacement

Liverpool are right on the brink of locking down their Virgil van Dijk replacement. Potentially their most important deal.

Liverpool are about to enter a very difficult period: one without Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman will have just one year remaining on his contract after this season and there's a sense that he won't sign a new one.

And that's a scary thought. Van Dijk is the most impactful defender Liverpool have ever had - his arrival transformed the team into a defensively solid one and he's kept it that way ever since.

He's the leader, the captain, and the player the entire defence is built around. Van Dijk is essentially irreplaceable.

Still, Liverpool do need something to happen once he moves on. They require a replacement - someone who can lead the defence and marshal it at the elite level.

That's not a job that just anyone can do. Honestly, it's probably not a job that anyone can possibly do, such have been the heights Van Dijk reached at Liverpool.

But the club do need a new leader and there's no getting around that. Which is why being on the brink of an agreement with Ibrahima Konate is so important - there isn't really a better option to step into Van Dijk's shoes.

The Frenchman, after all, has learned alongside Van Dijk and knows exactly how this defence should be led. Moreover, he's a player entering the prime of his career and who Liverpool know full well can deliver in the Premier League.

Any equivalent signing would cost an absolute fortune and come without that guarantee. In locking down Konate, Liverpool get their best-possible Van Dijk replacement and the next leader of this defence.