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Liverpool have been linked with a move for Ajax wonderkid Matthijs de Ligt, and Virgil van Dijk has added fuel to the fire with his latest comments.
What’s the word?
Well, de Ligt spoke surprisingly openly last month about the possibility of joining up with van Dijk at Liverpool, saying: “Of course, you would want to learn from him. It’s very helpful playing alongside him in the Dutch team.
“It could happen. He plays for Liverpool, a good club, but I’m not focused on them.”
The pair both played the full 90 minutes as the Netherlands swept Belarus aside last week, and van Dijk has now had his say on the exceptional youngster: “He’s obviously an excellent defender, that’s clear,” the 27 year-old said, as reported by The Liverpool Echo.
“He can still improve a lot and he realises that, but playing like he does at that age is fantastic and I’m really happy to play besides him.”
Could it happen?
Well, the major problem the Reds must overcome to secure de Ligt’s signature is Barcelona’s interest.
The Catalan giants have already signed his Ajax teammate Frenkie de Jong, and are currently the favourites to land de Ligt as well.
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If van Dijk can convince his understudy to join him at Anfield though, then Jurgen Klopp would finally have access to an option that Pep Guardiola already has at Manchester City – playing three at the back.
A new option for Klopp
Klopp’s major disadvantage compared to Guardiola is squad depth, as the Spaniard can comfortably switch to a back three in certain games with four genuine top centre backs lying in wait.
If de Ligt joins however, then Klopp’s defensive depth will be on par with his old foe.
Neither of Dejan Lovren or Joel Matip are really convincing enough to feature in a back three, but van Dijk in the middle of a trio with de Ligt and Joe Gomez flanking him would be a sight to behold.
Both de Ligt and Gomez have excellent recovery pace, making them perfect for those wider roles, and all three players are superb on the ball.
This would also allow full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold to fly forward and wreak havoc even more than they already do.
Securing de Ligt would go a long way to bridging the gap between the Premier League’s two best squads, and Reds fans will have to hope van Dijk is as convincing off the pitch as he is on it.