Liverpool still chasing in-demand Virgil van Dijk successor

Liverpool are a team in transition, and Andoni Iraola’s squad is a long way from being complete.

The Reds have spent over £650 million in the past 18 months, breaking the British transfer record twice in that time and becoming the first team ever to field three players who cost over £100 million at the same time.

More changes are on the horizon though, and one of the departments still being worked on is the defence.

With Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez both into the final years of their current deals another central defender will likely be added, and a fresh report has revealed who that could be.

Liverpool still monitoring in-demand defender

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Liverpool are one of several sides monitoring Inter Milan’s defender Alessandro Bastoni.

Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City are also named as interested sides, but the Merseyside club’s links to the player stretch back long before the start of this season.

The Italian has been almost constantly linked with an Anfield switch for the past few years, with a big money move rumoured ahead of last summer.

That move never materialised though, and Bastoni remains with the Italian champions.

The report claims that Liverpool have already done extensive work on Bastoni, who Inter value at nearly £70 million, with a view to making the 27-year-old the successor to Van Dijk at Anfield.

Bastoni has long been considered one of the best defenders in Europe, and a Premier League move feels inevitable, but things won’t be straight forward for Liverpool.

City and Chelsea are both sides that are more than capable of rivaling the Reds financially, however the London side are currently unable to offer European football and City are still reeling from the reported verdict of their legal battle against the Premier League.

The opportunity could be there for Liverpool to strike, and securing Bastoni could be the next step in the rebuild that is taking place in L4.

With Gomez and Van Dijk potentially gone at the end of the season, Liverpool’s admiration for Bastoni is certainly one to keep an eye on.