€40m Liverpool star is now Euro giants 'dream' target

Liverpool have already undergone a lot of change this summer.

The Reds are in desperate need of revitalisation because, without it, they could end up even worse off than they did at the end of last season.

The fact that the reigning Premier League champions finished fifth in the Premier League is a travesty and, if Fenway Sports Group don't heavily invest in new players, Andoni Iraola and his men could end up being left even further behind.

Several members of their first-team squad have already left and, with the futures of many still up in the air, the way that Liverpool's team is going to look is really unclear.

And, since the Reds look like they're set to have a massive clear-out, clubs from across the world are declaring their interest in their players which is causing many questions to be asked.

Virgil van Dijk is AC Milan's 'dream' defensive target this summer

Virgil van Dijk has been Liverpool's rock for as long as anyone can remember.

The Dutchman has been the Reds' captain since Jordan Henderson exited and, he's also been one of the first names on Liverpool's team sheet ever since he first joined.

Many people thought that Jurgen Klopp overspent when he splashed £70 million on Van Dijk but, in reality, it's been the best chunk of change that any Premier League club has spent on a player for a long time.

However, now that he's 35 years old and is entering the final year of his contract, rumours are surfacing about his future with Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport now sharing that Van Dijk is AC Milan's 'dream' target.

"A dream called Virgil. Within AC Milan, the crazy idea of ​​Van Dijk originated with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the spring, but it's gaining momentum today with the internal evaluations of Gerry Cardinale and his men (director of player trading Almstadt and director of Football Intelligence Bobby Gardiner).

"Costs, feasibility, acceptance. In Via Aldo Rossi, concrete discussions are underway on a deal that, as we all know, is shaping up to be very complicated.

"And not so much (or at least not only) for economic reasons, but for reasons related to Liverpool's current situation."

Liverpool cannot afford to lose Virgil van Dijk for any amount of money

Even though later in La Gazzetta's report it shares that AC Milan would be willing to offer around €30-€40 million for Van Dijk, it feels like Liverpool wouldn't be able to let him go.

The Dutchman was one of Liverpool's only defenders who actually put in a decent performance during the 2025-26 campaign and, without him, it's scary to think about how much worse Arne Slot's men would have done.

Also, the fact that Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate have all already left the club this season means that there's already three massive voids for Liverpool to fill.

And, you can't expect a club to do well if you lose one of your best-ever players, your vice captain and your captain in the same window.

As much as the Anfield outfit want to sign youngsters to build for the future, there also needs to be some experienced heads who can guide the next generation of Liverpool players.

For example, the arrival of Henderson and Granit Xhaka to Brentford and Sunderland completely transformed their teams and the way they play.

So, even though Van Dijk may be 35 by the time the 2026-27 season kicks off, there's no way that the Reds can let him go, not with the way their team is at the moment, anyway.