Liverpool have had to make a U-turn in their pursuit of Virgil Van Dijk due to allegations of tapping up the Southampton centre-back.
Considering Van Dijk was Liverpool’s primary summer transfer target, the club’s fans will undoubtedly be disappointed at the fact that he won’t be plying his trade at Anfield come next season.
Nevertheless, there are a plethora of quality centre-backs who share broad similarities with Van Dijk – some of them even cost less than the Dutchman’s reported £60million price tag.
Here are five possible alternatives to Virgil Van Dijk:
2Aymeric Laporte
Aymeric Laporte is a popular name in the transfer market. He’s been linked with a move to Premier League clubs for years now, yet he still plies his trade in the Basque country.
The 23-year-old has racked up over 200 appearances for Athletic Bilbao, thus highlighting his maturity on the pitch despite his young age.
He’s a powerful yet subtle defender capable of making strides up the pitch in a bid to start an attacking move for his side.
