Virgil van Dijk's successor has been found by Liverpool, it's not Jeremy Jacquet

One of the hardest players for Liverpool to replace in the future will be Virgil van Dijk.

The 35-year-old is entering the final year of his contract with the Anfield outfit and, at the moment, no talks about a new deal have been shared.

Obviously, since he's likely to start most of Liverpool's games again this season, the Reds will probably enter negotiations with their captain at some point.

In fact, he's even said himself that, since he didn't hit his peak until late on in his career that he could continue playing at the top level for a lot longer than people think.

However, with him now getting to the twilight stages of his career, some succession plans are going to have to be put in place for when Van Dijk's departure actually occurs.

So, the fact that the Reds are already being linked with top-level centre-backs is massively reassuring.

Liverpool now keeping a 'close eye' on Malick Thiaw

This summer, Liverpool's defence had a fair few new players added to it.

Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo were the two players added to Liverpool's ranks in the transfer window but, with Giovanni Leoni also returning from injury, the Italian is basically a new signing.

Each of these players will have a major part to play for the Reds this term but, it's unclear whether they'd be able to live up to the standards that Van Dijk has set.

The towering Dutchman has easily been one of the Premier League's best centre-backs over the last few years and, a Liverpool team without him among their starting XI feels weird to even think about.

However, as mentioned, since he's getting on a bit now, some changes may have to be made so, the fact that Caught Offside have linked the Reds with a move for Malick Thiaw in the future makes a lot of sense.

"Liverpool and Manchester United are both keeping a close eye on Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw as they assess potential defensive reinforcements for future transfer windows," they wrote.

"Sources close to the agents industry have informed CaughtOffside that Liverpool and Man United have been monitoring Thiaw’s performances, although no formal negotiations or direct talks have taken place.

"Liverpool’s interest is particularly understandable given the questions surrounding their defence.

"Virgil van Dijk is approaching the latter stages of his Anfield career, while Andoni Iraola will eventually need another centre-back capable of becoming a long-term starter.

"Liverpool have actually monitored Thiaw before.

"Thiaw is contracted until 2029 and would reportedly command around £65m-£70m, despite a market valuation closer to €45m."

Malick Thiaw would be a perfect signing for Liverpool

Before Thiaw joined Newcastle a couple of summers ago, he was a relatively unknown entity in England.

But, abroad, he was sought-after. Now, the centre-back is 25 years old and started his career with Schalke.

From then, in in the 2022-23 season, he joined AC Milan where he was a regular feature.

He then joined Newcastle and, within the two years he's been at St James' Park, he's quickly become one of their most important players.

That is, especially now that Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali have all left.

During his time as a Newcastle players, he's earned plenty of Premier League experience and has even featured in 11 Champions League games.

Of course, nobody will ever be able to replace Van Dijk but, a 25-year-old centre-back with a decent chunk of top flight experience could definitely eventually become as good as the Dutchman.

Obviously, a deal would cost Liverpool a lot to get over the line but, if they're serious about competing for silverware every year, they're going to have to start making these costly moves to try and get an advantage over their rivals.