The next Van Dijk: Liverpool plot talks for "immense" £40m Guehi upgrade

Liverpool are the reigning Premier League champions, but are they resting on their laurels? Absolutely not.

£116m man Florian Wirtz is in the building, joined by the exciting duo of Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, signed for £29.5m and £40m apiece. The top-flight's second-best defence in 2024/25 will seemingly have a fresh feel to it next season.

Indeed, Kerkez looks destined to usurp the long-serving Andy Robertson at left-back, while Frimpong will battle Conor Bradley to replace he-who-shall-not-be-named on the right flank.

With Giorgi Mamardashvili also set for his belated arrival at Anfield, there could even be a decision to be made in the sticks, not least with current number one, Alisson, having been beset with injury problems in recent years.

A further shake-up could also lie in store with regard to Virgil van Dijk's new partner at centre-back, with the uncertainty surrounding Ibrahima Konate's future only heightening the need for competition at the heart of the defence.

Van Dijk aside, there is a chance for Arne Slot to deploy an almost completely new-look defensive unit for 2025/26, with the search for a new centre-back still underway.

Latest on Liverpool's centre-back search

With Konate attracting interest from Real Madrid, with just a year left on his current deal, the Reds must surely acquire a senior centre-back for the first time since the Frenchman's own arrival in 2021 - not least with Jarell Quansah joining Bayer Leverkusen.

Marc Guehi, skipper down at Crystal Palace, is currently the name on everybody's lips, with recent reports even going as far as to suggest that personal terms have been agreed with the 24-year-old Englishman.

That said, alternatives are still being considered according to further speculation, with the Daily Mail's Simon Jones noting that the Merseysiders are plotting whether to proceed in talks for Guehi or Ajax starlet, Jorrel Hato.

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The latter man - who is reportedly valued at around £40m - has previously been touted with a move to Anfield, with now perhaps the chance to ramp up that interest in the highly-rated 19-year-old.

Guehi, of course, provides proven Premier League quality and experience, but the young Dutchman must just be even better...

Why Hato could be an upgrade on Guehi

It's fair to say that the Reds have already reaped the rewards of signing a Dutch talent schooled in the Netherlands, with former Groningen starlet Van Dijk making his way to Merseyside in January 2018, via stints at Celtic and Southampton.

Now the captain and leader of Liverpool, the 6 foot 5 titan has been a truly monstrous figure for the club to date, with former striker Michael Owen even going as far as to suggest that the 33-year-old is the "best centre-half of all time".

While Hato - who operates at left centre-back like Van Dijk, as well as left-back - has some way to go to reach the levels of his compatriot, the likeness between the pair has already been noted, including by journalist Jorn Alders:

"He can be an option. He's a really big talent. Not entirely similar to Van Dijk but he has his body. He has a good technique. He's strong and he's extremely fast, so he has any weapons to improve in the Premier League, I think," Aalders said. "He's so young. He's still 19 but already he is the first choice option in the Netherlands for the left-back position and he's one of the best players in that squad."

Tipped to follow in Van Dijk's footsteps, Hato has been praised for his "immense" quality by talent scout Jacek Kulig, having already made 111 appearances for Ajax before turning 20. For comparison, the aforementioned Guehi was 19 when he made his debut at senior level for Chelsea in the League Cup.

Hato's League stats in 2024/25 Stat (*per game) Record Games (starts) 31 (30) Goals 2 Assists 6 Big chances created 6 Key passes* 0.6 Pass accuracy* 90% Tackles & interceptions* 2.6 Balls recovered* 4.2 Dribbled past* 0.3 Stats via Sofascore

Not only more versatile than the Englishman due to his ability to feature at full-back, the teenager also appears to possess greater composure and quality in possession, as shown by his 90% pass completion rate in the Eredivisie last term, as per Sofascore, alongside averaging 0.6 key passes per game. Guehi, meanwhile, averaged 84% and 0.5 for those same two metrics, respectively.

While both men made 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game in 2024/25, interestingly, Hato appeared the more resolute defender, having been dribbled past on just 0.3 occasions, while the Palace captain averaged 0.5 in that regard.

Arguably "one of the most talented CBs of his generation in Europe", according to Kulig, the Netherlands U21 star is already shining at the age of just 19, with it truly exciting to imagine what he can go onto achieve.

Guehi, of course, may represent a ready-made solution, but as potentially the man who could prove to be the next Van Dijk, Hato may well have the higher ceiling.

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