Virgil van Dijk green lights Andy Robertson successor - and it's NOT Milos Kerkez

Liverpool are sanctioning change at left-back for the first time since August 2020 when Kostas Tsimikas was brought to the club from Olympiacos. Reports suggest Milos Kerkez will join.

A £40m fee has been agreed with Bournemouth for the Hungarian and all we are missing is confirmation of a completed medical and then a formal announcement of him wearing the shirt.

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Who Kerkez will replace is still not agreed. Andy Robertson has been approached by Atletico Madrid, although we will have to wait until he returns from his holiday to understand where his head is at, but spending his final year at the club nurturing Kerkez is what most Liverpool fans are hoping for.

Meanwhile, Tsimikas has received interest from a number of different clubs, but nothing concrete has been announced yet either. However, he is the most likely full-back to depart this summer.

On that basis, there is reason to suggest that a plan is already in place for Robertson to be replaced next summer when his contract expires. Virgil van Dijk is already vouching for a major candidate.

Hato is in Liverpool's long-term plans

According to Lewis Steele at the Daily Mail, a number of defensive options are being explored now that Jarell Quansah is highly likely to join Bayer Leverkusen this summer for a potential £35m.

He wrote on X: "It opens the door for Liverpool to sign a CB [centre-back]. Marc Guehi [is] one they like and could represent a good market opportunity given his contract situation.

"Their main goal is to sign a young defender who could eventually replace VVD [Virgil Van Dijk].

"He has vouched for Jorrel Hato (mainly a LB [left-back], though - so could be different thinking) at Ajax, who is definitely still on the radar, while RB Leipzig have been scouted for some months which raises the thought that Castello Lukeba could also be an option."

As such, Hato's transition to left-back is being considered a permanent one. The once centre-back is now a legitimate option down the left flank, to the extent that Liverpool would not play him centrally.

In that sense, Marc Guehi and Castello Lukeba are the main centre-back options we're aware of.

But that does not mean that a plan for Hato hasn't been devised for the long term - perhaps to replace Robertson, or Tsimikas, depending upon who stays this summer - given Van Dijk has 'vouched' for him, which presumably means the Dutchman is a player that is admired on Merseyside.

We already know that Hato's perspective is to remain at Ajax for the time being, claiming he is 'in no rush to leave', which was already music to Arne Slot's ears as John Heitinga is now the head coach.

But this news could just have added the missing piece to the idea that Hato is top of the list for next summer, when Liverpool have room for him and when he is eager to start a new challenge.

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Of course, a move elsewhere this summer is still entirely plausible and so we'll have to see whether this theory checks out or not, but the Reds might have a plan in place and it's a very exciting one.

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