Liverpool agree world record fee for centre-back target

 

Liverpool have agreed a £75m fee, a world record for a defender, for long standing target and Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk, reports the Telegraph. 

 

The Reds have been chasing the Dutchman for some time now, with Van Dijk believed to favour a move to Anfield, and after a move to Liverpool failed to materialise over the summer, it seems the centre-back’s transfer to Merseyside is edging closer to completition. 

 

Van Dijk hasn’t featured for Saints of late and has been left out completely of Mauricio Pellegrino’s match day squad for recent meetings with Huddersfield and Tottenham. 

 

Chelsea and Manchester City have also been linked with a big money move for Van Dijk, but it looks as though the duo will miss out to Liverpool. 

 

The reported fee for Van Dijk will blow the current record out of the water, with Kyle Walker’s move to Manchester City earlier in the year setting the standard for prices. 

 

 

Liverpool have been looking to strengthen at the back for some time now, with Van Dijk the priority target for Reds boss Jurgen Klopp. 

 

The 26-year-old boasts a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘aerial duels’, while of the 105 players to contest 50 or more headed battles, only Kurt Zouma (78.9%) has a better aerial success than Van Dijk (74.1%) in the Premier League this season.