Fabrizio Romano has revealed interest building in the Bundesliga – as well as elsewhere in the Premier League – for a defender who could leave Liverpool after Virgil van Dijk’s new contract is confirmed, as well as sharing details on someone who could come in to play alongside the Dutch icon.
Liverpool finally had something to smile about on the contracts front on Friday when they announced Mohamed Salah has signed a deal to stay at the club for another two years. More good news won’t be too far behind, with club captain Van Dijk also agreeing to stay at Anfield and confirmation of his new contract now being a matter of when, not if.
Van Dijk is also expected to sign a two-year contract extension, which will mean Liverpool will have kept two of the three players whose contracts were due to expire at the end of the season.
Keeping their captain will be big news in its own right, even if Salah’s contract extension will probably be the most celebrated.
But Van Dijk staying could have wider implications for Liverpool’s defence, with transfer expert Romano revealing how it could be a case of one in, one out alongside him.
On a YouTube video, Romano forecasted a potential departure by saying: “I would keep an eye on Jarell Quansah because he’s very good, very talented, but I think sometimes you want to play.
“You have Virgil van Dijk extending the contract, [Ibrahima] Konate still there, their interest in [Dean] Huijsen, Liverpool have many players in that position.
“Then it’s true that injuries are part of the game and we have many games as always in modern football. But Jarell Quansah is attracting interest from several clubs: Newcastle, from what I’m hearing, but also German clubs.
“That’s the information I can tell you. I’m told there is also interest from Bundesliga. So I think there could be movement for Quansah, he could be one of the players for Liverpool to consider to cash in, in case the player wants to go and try something new.”
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As Romano stated, Konate is still on Liverpool’s books, but he will also be someone the club look to tie down to a new contract, since his existing one expires next year.
Asked if Liverpool were still in talks with the Frenchman, Romano replied: “They are. At some point, Liverpool were quite close to reaching an agreement with Ibrahima Konate, then there was still some work to do on the details of his contract.
“But the conversation, from what I’m hearing, is still ongoing with his agents.
“Liverpool, obviously, this year had to focus on Van Dijk, Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and Mo Salah, so it’s obvious that for a player like Ibrahima Konate, who’s a really important player for the club, but still with a contract.
“So, not an urgent situation, Liverpool gave priority to the leaders they have in the dressing room. But Ibrahima Konate is a player they really appreciate and a player they love. They want to continue with him, they remain in conversation with him, and so Liverpool maintain their intention to extend his contract.
“Of course, it’s a financial topic too. There are more clubs following the situation, so let’s see what happens there, but Liverpool maintain their confidence and remain in conversation with Ibrahima Konate over a new deal.”
Dean Huijsen to Liverpool latest
Even with Van Dijk and potentially Konate staying, Liverpool have been exploring their options for a new centre-back.
TEAMtalk has been reporting since February that Bournemouth’s Huijsen is on their shortlist for a new defender signing – and Romano has provided some more information on the battle they face to bring him to Anfield.
The Italian journalist said: “I see many stories on Huijsen in recent days. It’s not surprising because I’ve been saying for three months, since January, first of all, he has a release clause.
“In February, it was mentioned the release clause is £50m, so all this information is really important. When you have this kind of release clause, it means a player can agree with a club and all the clubs interested can maybe trigger the clause and then see what the player wants to do.
“In this case, I can confirm as I said already two months ago, Liverpool are interested in Dean Huijsen. They had conversations with his agents.
“But don’t forget about Arsenal, because it’s the same for Arsenal. Don’t forget about Newcastle trying, I think it will be difficult for them but they are still there. There is also interest from Tottenham, but it’s not going to be an easy one for them because they can’t offer, at the moment – let’s see what happens in the Europa League – Champions League football.
“There are several clubs interested in the player, the release clause is there. About Real Madrid, the interest remains genuine and the player could also be attracted, but Real Madrid have not decided yet whether they want to sign a new centre-back or not. That’s the point for Dean Huijsen, Real Madrid have not decided yet.
“So let’s see what happens there, with also [Carlo] Ancelotti, with Xabi Alonso… it’s still early. I know there is this sort of panic to decide as soon as possible, but this is not the case. It’s going to take some time, so let’s wait because many clubs are in the race for Dean Huijsen, including Liverpool.”
Liverpool transfer roundup
In other news, Liverpool have been freshly linked with a move for one of the best players from Romano’s native country.
Reports in Italy have named the Inter Milan player drawing interest from Liverpool – as well as Manchester City.
Another key task for Liverpool this summer is to futureproof their attack, which has led to links with a major Championship prospect.
And Arne Slot has been speaking about how Salah’s new contract could have an impact on Liverpool’s upcoming transfers.
Van Dijk’s importance to Liverpool honours
Virgil van Dijk’s Liverpool honours and how much he played on their road to winning them
After arriving midway through the 2017-18 season, Van Dijk became part of a side that reached the Champions League final under Jurgen Klopp, although they lost to Real Madrid on that occasion. It proved, though, to be the fuel for their pursuit of the trophy the following season.
By the end of Van Dijk’s first full season as a Liverpool player, he was lifting the Champions League trophy after a victory over Tottenham Hotspur. The Dutch defender only missed one game on the road to Madrid, and that was just because of a suspension for accumulated yellow cards.
And before 2019 was out, Van Dijk played in the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup final to add two more medals to his Liverpool collection, not to mention the PFA Player of the Year award on an individual level.
2019-20 was memorably the year in which Liverpool won their first title of the Premier League era, and Van Dijk didn’t miss a single minute, leading to him being named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the second season running.
A further four domestic trophies followed before Klopp’s exit, with Van Dijk getting his hands on the League Cup twice, the FA Cup once and the Community Shield once. He started each of those finals, including as captain for the last honour of the Klopp reign, the 2023-24 Carabao Cup.
It is no coincidence that, out of the full seasons since Van Dijk has been on the books, the only season Liverpool didn’t win anything was the 2020-21 season, in which he was absent for a long stretch due to injury.
He has been an instrumental part of Liverpool’s success and it’s fair to assume that winning some of those trophies would have been a lot harder without him.