Virgil van Dijk transfer 'still alive' for Real Madrid | OneFootball

Real Madrid are still keeping an eye on Virgil van Dijk as his Liverpool contract continues to wind down, a report has claimed, with no clear future for the veteran defender.

Madrid have endured a centre-back nightmare in 2024/25. David Alaba missed the first half of the campaign while recovering from an ACL injury, which overlapped with Eder Militao suffering the same problem – his second such injury in the space of two seasons.

Former club captain Nacho walked into the Saudi Arabian sunset at the end of last season, with the club also missing out on Leny Yoro to Manchester United and not recruiting anyone else.

Madrid have survived through a combination of Aurelien Tchouameni filling in and Raul Asencio promoted to the first-team, although it's not a sustainable solution and cover is still lacking.

Long-term, Madrid have been tipped to go after €90m-rated RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba, who is 22 and comes with potential to become world class in the next few years, but is also commanding rival interest from Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Van Dijk is on the cusp of captaining Liverpool to Premier League glory / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

In the short-term, however, Van Dijk could fit the bill for Madrid if he is available.

The Liverpool captain is on course to become a free agent at the end of the season and has already been linked with Real Madrid in recent months. AS notes it is an option for the European champions that is "still alive" and has not been ruled out at this stage.

Van Dijk's future hasn't been discussed in quite the same way as that of Trent Alexander-Arnold, a much firmer target for Madrid, or Mohamed Salah, leading to assumptions that he is the most likely of the trio to stay at Anfield. But updates about a potential a new contract have been lacking.

The Dutchman became the most expensive defender in the world when he completed a £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018, seen as one of the final pieces in Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool jigsaw alongside Alisson and Salah. Van Dijk played in the Champions League final just months later, winning that competition in 2019, and then having a huge part in Liverpool spectacularly ending a 30-year wait for an English league title in 2020.