Virgil van Dijk tells Liverpool who they should sign as his replacement at Anfield: Reports
Virgil van Dijk has reportedly told Liverpool to sign Ajax's 18-year-old defender Jorrel Hato as his replacement. The Dutchman is said to believe that the youngester is the ideal player to take over from him at Anfield.
As per a report in Rousing The Kop, Van Dijk is helping Liverpool pick his replacement as his contract enters the final few months. The defender has picked Hato as the ideal candidate to replace him and the Reds could move for him next summer.
The teenager is a versatile defender as he can play as a left-back as well. Van Dijk believes Hato can cover for him and Robertson next season before taking over as the main center-back later.
Liverpool are keen on extending Van Dijk's contract, which expires in 2025, and the Dutchman confirmed in October that talks were ongoing. He told The Guardian:
"I can say discussions are ongoing, but I don't know what happens in the future. My very full focus is on L'pool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else. What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions are ongoing with the right people and when it's time to make a decision or whatever, I think you guys [the media] will know it as well. But now full commitment and focus is on L'pool and to be successful this season. So we will see."
Apart from Van Dijk, Liverpool also have the contracts of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold expiring next summer.
Liverpool told to prioritize Trent Alexander-Arnold over Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk
Former England international Glen Johnson believes Liverpool should focus on extending the contract of Trent Alexander-Arnold if they have to pick one of the trio. He claims that the right-back is a bigger asset for the club than Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
Speaking to Genting Casino, Johnson said:
"If I had to pick a contract to renew as a priority in the cases of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, then Trent is who I'd go for, mainly because of his age. They're all world class players, but Trent is the younger man, and he could feasibly be playing in the L'pool first team for another six, seven years.
"Mo and Virgil, as good as they are, aren't going to be able to do that. Of course, there are rumours about Real Madrid wanting to sign Trent and I don't expect those to go away. Real Madrid are a big, iconic club. Most players might not say it, but nearly everyone wants to play for Real Madrid."
Liverpool are doing well this season despite their contract issues and are on top of the Premier League and Champions League tables.