Liverpool CLOSING in on signing next Virgil van Dijk

There's a special connection between Celtic and Liverpool.

Both sets of fans sing You'll Never Walk Alone. Both clubs are historic institutions and the most successful ones in their respective countries.

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There's also been a lot of crossovers between the two teams. In fact some of Liverpool's most iconic figures first represented Celtic before arriving at Anfield.

Kenny Daglish is the most notable one. He was one of the best players to ever play for the club and also managed the Reds on two separate occasions.

The Scotsman initially started out his career in Glasgow with Celtic before arriving at Liverpool to replace Kevin Keegan.

He's not the only one to make a similar journey. Virgil van Dijk played for Celtic and arrived at Anfield via Southampton before becoming one of the best defenders in the Premier League's modern era and the club captain at Liverpool.

Other iconic names to play for Celtic before joining Liverpool are Craig Bellamy and more recently Ben Doak. But now there's another name to add to the list.

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In fact, this new name almost feels like de ja vu.

According to numerous reports now, including Paul Joyce writing in The Times, Richard Hughes is ready to trigger the £30m release clause in Jeremie Frimpong's contract at Bayer Leverkusen with the Reds closing in on completing a deal for the 24-year-old.

Before winning the Bundesliga in Germany, Frimpong actually played for Celtic. He made over 50 appearances for the club before signing for Leverkusen and going onto establish himself as one of the best wing-backs in European football.

For us, Frimpong's arrival just feels like another momentous one that happened back in January of 2018.

He's not just a former Celtic player, he's also a Dutch international. The comparisons to Van Dijk are therefore apt.

Like Frimpong, Van Dijk was one of the best players in his position at the time of his arrival at Liverpool. He had played 115 games for Celtic, and then established himself as an elite defender in the Premier League.

When he arrived at the club, Liverpool knew they were getting a generational talent and it's the same with Frimpong. He's the next Van Dijk, following pretty much the same footpath as the Dutch ace.

Even better is that it seems like Frimpong has been destined to play for Liverpool all along. He wanted to join the Reds when he was a little boy as he revealed.

He's played under a crowd that sing the club's famous anthem. And Frimpong gets on really well with the rest of the Dutch contingent at Anfield.

He will slot into this Liverpool team seamlessly and he will elevate the Reds' attack. There are so many ways Slot can utilise him and bring out his best qualities on the pitch.

Of course, it's not a done deal yet but we understand why Liverpool have acted fast in order to get him. This is a remarkable opportunity to sign one of the best players in the Bundesliga for a bargain at £30m.

This is as much of a bargain as Van Dijk was at £75m.

Frimpong has every chance to follow in his footsteps and those that came before him. From Daglish to Van Dijk and Bellamy, they've all been iconic figures loved by the club's fanbase.

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The omens are very good, very good, indeed.