Arsenal, Real Madrid & Barcelona rival Liverpool for Virgil van Dijk replacement | OneFootball

Liverpool's quest to replace Virgil van Dijk with Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck has been complicated by rival interest from Arsenal, Real Madrid and Barcelona, a report claims.

Van Dijk has publicly admitted he does not know what his future holds as he approaches the final few months of his Liverpool contract, and the Dutchman is reported to be considering a mammoth contract offer from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.

While Liverpool do want to keep Van Dijk, they have started to prepare for a future without their star centre-back and Schlotterbeck was recently named as a potential target for the Reds.

Liverpool are hopeful that Dortmund's domestic struggles - they sit 11th in the Bundesliga and are highly unlikely to qualify for the Champions League - could force them to entertain offers for Schlotterbeck but, according to BILD, they are not the only side to have hatched this plan.

Schlotterbeck has a few options in front of him / Jan Fromme - firo sportphoto/GettyImages

There is increasing interest in Schlotterbeck from the Premier League, where both Arsenal and Newcastle United are touted as suitors, while La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are both said to be monitoring his situation.

Dortmund, for their part, hope to tie the 25-year-old down to a new contract and are keen to prove their commitment to Schlotterbeck by making him the next team captain, but there is an acceptance that their likely failure to qualify for the Champions League could prompt players to look for an exit, while some will have to be begrudgingly sold to raise the funds lost without European football.

As he approaches the last two years of his contract, the final decision will rest with Schlotterbeck. A new contract will be offered if he indicates a desire to sign, but clubs from across Europe are beginning to circle incase he opts to take his talents elsewhere.