Liverpool to lose yet another star man for nothing, it's not Curtis Jones

Over the years, Liverpool have gotten fairly good at getting the most out of the players they sign and sell.

Before the 2025-26 summer transfer window, they rarely spent any money on new players with Jurgen Klopp often having to make do with what he had available to him.

However, during the last summer transfer window, they spent over £450 million with many people believing that they'd be close to unstoppable.

They also made over £200 million in sales with the deal for Luis Diaz's Bayern Munich transfer lauded by almost everyone as they earned around £62.5 million from his exit despite him only having two years left on his contract and being 28 years old.

But, away from these big-money sales, they've also had a couple of slip-ups with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate both exiting for nothing.

And, since a new contract for Curtis Jones hasn't been agreed upon yet, it feels like he could also end up leaving for nothing next summer.

But, it's not the Englishman who Liverpool should be worried about.

AC Milan want to sign Virgil van Dijk for free next summer

Virgil van Dijk has been one of Liverpool's best players for as long as anyone can remember.

When the Reds first signed him, most people felt like they had overpaid as he'd not yet proven why he was worth the £70 million Liverpool spent on him.

But, as the 2017/18 season went on, he quickly settled into his new role and, from then on, he was seen as one of the world's best centre-backs.

He's had multiple new contracts given to him while playing for Liverpool but, since he's now entering the final year of his current deal, questions are being asked about whether another contract is going to be put on the table for the centre-back.

The towering Dutchman has already been offered a move by several clubs this summer but, a fresh report from La Gazetta dello Sport has shared that AC Milan have a different plan in mind to bring their 'dream' target to the San Siro.

"In fact, according to leaks, the Rossoneri are keen to make a second signing," they wrote.

"One name on the radar is Valdepeñas, born in 2006 and playing for Real Madrid.

"Another, decidedly polar opposite, was that of Senator Van Dijk, who however is not expected to move from Liverpool and on whom the Devils intend to return strongly next year, when his contract expires."

Liverpool must figure out their plans for Virgil van Dijk as soon as possible

If Van Dijk is still Liverpool's best-performing defender during the 2026-27 season, there's no way that they can let him go.

At the moment, they only have four senior centre-backs among their ranks and, of the four, the Dutchman is the only one who fans know that they can rely on.

As good as Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet look, neither of them have played a minute of Premier League football and both of them are still rather young.

Joe Gomez is the other option that Liverpool have at their disposal but, since he's made of glass and spends more time in the treatment room than on the pitch, he can't be relied upon either.

A new centre-back has been on the Reds' radar for a while now and, especially now Ibrahima Konate is gone, they need to add a new defender to their ranks as soon as possible, especially if Van Dijk is leaving in June 2027.

If Liverpool are letting their captain go, his successor could do with a year being partnered with him to know exactly what it means to lead the Reds' defence.

Because, if they come into the club thinking that it's going to be the same as it is anywhere else, they're massively mistaken.