Report: Liverpool to Give up on van Dijk, Pursue Dutch Teammate De Vrij
Having hit a brick wall in their pursuit of Southampton defensive rock Virgil van Dijk in the summer transfer window, Liverpool are believed to be prepared to drop their interest in the defender and pursue a move for fellow Dutch international Stefan de Vrij. Reds boss Jürgen Klopp is believed to be eager to bolster his defensive line in January, with de Vrij a key target.
As reported by Italian football website Calciomercato, via the Mirror, the Reds will look to battle Serie A giants Juventus and Inter Milan in their pursuit of the highly-rated 25-year-old.
Juventus are looking to fill the void left by legendary Italian defender Leonardo Bonucci, who joined big-spending sleeping giants AC Milan in arguably the best coup of the summer transfer window.
The former Feyenoord star has enhanced his reputation considerably during his three year spell with I Biancocelesti, and Liverpool are believed to be prepared to give up their attempts to sign van Dijk as de Vrij represents a better value, and a more realistic prospect. The defensive worries of the Reds were highlighted in Tuesday night's 2-2 Champions League draw with Sevilla.
Liverpool are widely believed to be one of the best attacking forces in the Premier League, with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané at the forefront of the side's attacking endeavours in their clashes so far this season.
However, a shaky defence cannot be ignored, and Klopp will be determined to strengthen his central defence in the January window.
