Reds captain Virgil van Dijk in 'serious negotiations' to leave in major twist

Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk is reportedly ‘in talks’ with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal over a blockbuster free transfer that’d take place at the end of this season.

The Dutch international has entered the final six months of his contract at Anfield and Liverpool have been working hard to tie him down to an extension.

Van Dijk may be past his prime as a 33-year-old, but is still one of the best defenders in the Premier League and is a key reason why Liverpool sit top of the Premier League table.

However, according to journalist Ahmed Al-Ajlan, Al-Hilal are in ‘serious negotiations’ to sign Van Dijk in the summer, in what’d be a huge blow for Arne Slot and his team.

“Serious negotiations have begun with Liverpool’s Dutch defender Van Dijk to sign him next summer before the [Club] World Cup in America,” Al-Ajlan posted on X.

“According to sources, Al-Hilal president Fahad bin Nafel has already met with the player’s agent in London.”

Saudi Arabian sides have long been interested in Van Dijk but up to now, there has been no concrete indication that the centre-back could head to Al-Hilal as soon as this year, so it would be a monumental twist if he chose to do so.

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Liverpool remain confident of new Van Dijk contract – sources

The rumours surrounding Van Dijk are interesting timing, as only recently two other Liverpool stars have been linked with a move to Al-Hilal – Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez.

TEAMtalk transfer insider Ben Jacobs reported in December that Liverpool are confident of agreeing a new contract for Van Dijk and the player is also open to staying.

The defender has also made it clear that he won’t agree terms with another club until negotiations over an extension have concluded, so Liverpool are calm about the situation.

Liverpool are understood to have offered Van Dijk a two-year extension. However, there are some there is still work to be done in negotiations. The biggest sticking point is that the Reds are likely to sign a new centre-back in 2025 and Van Dijk wants to know his role and ultimately minutes. The Reds captain will have to think about whether he’s comfortable with that situation before making a decision.

We also understand that Al-Hilal manager Jorge Jesus is prioritising the signing of a right-sided attacker, which is why the club have looked at bringing in Salah.

With this in mind, our information suggest it’s unlikely that we’ll see Van Dijk joining Al-Hilal next season, contrary to reports, but anything can happen in football and the Saudi club are able to offer huge salaries to their targets.

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Liverpool round-up: Kimmich ‘talks’ / Kerkez linked again

Meanwhile, Liverpool are reportedly ‘considering’ a move for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, although they are set to face competition from rivals Manchester United for his signature.

The 21-year-old has been sensational for the Cherries this season and bagged a fantastic goal in their 4-1 victory over Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday.

Bournemouth will demand a minimum of £40million for Kerkez and are very reluctant to let him go mid-season, but it’s understood that the youngster is ready to join a top club.

In other news, reports from Germany claim that Liverpool have opened talks to sign Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich on a free transfer this summer. He is out of contract at the end of the season.

Kimmich, 29, can play as a right-back or midfielder, so could cover for or replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, if he leaves, and add to Slot’s options in midfield.

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