Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk REPLACEMENT has price tag REDUCED | OneFootball

Now that the club has allowed Virgil Van Dijk's contract to enter its final year, Liverpool risk losing their best defender for free at the end of the season.

While the Reds' captain has spoken about his wish to continue playing at the highest level, extension talks have so far proved unproductive.

Having arrived at the club as a Christmas present for Liverpool fans in 2018 for a club-record fee of £75million, the Dutchman has more than repaid the outlay spent on him.

Performing at the peak of his powers for almost seven years now, Van Dijk has been widely considered to be the best centre-back in the world, with others claiming he's the best the Premier League has ever seen.

But, while Jurgen Klopp and now Arne Slot have grown to rely on the centre-back for almost every Liverpool game, the club has let his contract run down.

Now 33 years old, it would be logical to assume that the player is losing his fitness and so now might be the time to move on, but yet he still stands out as one of the best defenders around.

As contract negotiations continue to stall, Liverpool risk losing him for free, as he is able to negotiate with other clubs from January 1st should talks collapse altogether.