Virgil van Dijk: Spanish reports say Real Madrid and Barcelona ready to fight for Liverpool centre-back

Virgil van Dijk

Real Madrid and Barcelona could battle it out for Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk next summer.

According to ASthe two La Liga giants are interested in prising the Dutchman away from Anfield at the end of the season.

Van Dijk has transformed Liverpool's defence since his arrival in January 2018, winning the Champions League last term and establishing himself as one of the world's top centre-halves en route.

Madrid and Barcelona are both reportedly keen to test the Reds' resolve as they look to improve their backlines and re-establish themselves as the top teams in European football.

Van Dijk would not come cheap, however, with Liverpool having paid £75m - a world-record fee for a defender at the time - to acquire him from Southampton.

The Holland international is contracted to the Merseyside outfit until 2023.

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Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).