Is Virgil Van Dijk the Answer to Liverpool's Defensive Issues?

It may not come as a surprise, but Liverpool are being linked with yet another Southampton player. Virgil van Dijk, one of the most consistent defenders in England’s top flight, is reportedly available for around £50 million and Jurgen Klopp may push for the 25-year-old ahead of the new campaign.

That kind of money may seem ridiculous for a central defender, but that is the current transfer climate that we are living in...

Van Dijk has the necessary skills and talent to succeed at a bigger club and the Dutch starlet would almost certainly favour a move to Anfield over staying at Southampton. This season, he made 21 appearances under Claude Puel before suffering an ankle injury in January that would see him sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.

But with Van Dijk making good progress in his rehabilitation, England’s top sides are set to enter a bidding war for the 25-year-old before the end of the summer transfer window. According to WhoScored, Van Dijk was the best performing player for the Saints this season, earning an average rating of 7.43 per game. To put his efforts into perspective, Oriol Romeu had the next best figure with 7.15.

In terms of other statistics, he made more clearances per game (6.8) and more interceptions (2.6) than any of his teammates and made the third most blocks (0.7) in the Southampton squad. All in all, Van Dijk was a key figure in Puel's defence and you can put their struggles in the second half of the season down to his absence through injury.

Would he solve all of Liverpool’s problems? Probably not. The Reds are in dire need of help at left back and Klopp may look to bring in at least two ‘starting calibre’ defenders ahead of the new campaign. Looking ahead to August, Liverpool are priced at around 8/1 to win the Premier League title but the Reds will need to strengthen considerably in order to challenge at the top.

As of May 31st, the 8/1 available for the Reds to finish at the top represents good value and fans may want to use the 'Acca Tracker', available from sites such as Footy Accumulators, to keep tabs on bets involving Klopp’s men next season. A number of Liverpool's main stars have already made their mark this summer, starring in the 3-0 victory Sydney FC just days after the domestic campaign ended. With a signing or two, Liverpool will be there or thereabouts again in 2018.

Had Liverpool signed a competent defender last summer, the Reds wouldn’t have needed to go through a nail-biting final day of the season to secure Champions League football. Buying a solid centre back is never easy but the Reds must invest astutely in order to keep pace in England’s top flight.

With both Manchester clubs set to spend big in the transfer window, Liverpool have to follow suit. Van Dijk will, if nothing else, give Klopp a reliable, proven top-flight option at the heart of the defence. Compared to some of the names being linked with Liverpool, Van Dijk is an A-list transfer target. Burnley defender Michael Keane, formerly of Manchester United, is another name that continues to crop up in the media but Klopp would do well to heed Jamie Carragher's warning: Keane just doesn't fit the bill to succeed at Anfield.

Instead, forking the additional £20 million for Van Dijk, one of Europe’s hottest young defensive prospects, looks the better option. He isn’t the complete package just yet but he is one of the best choices out there and he is almost certainly available for the right price. Rival clubs may laugh at the Southampton link once again but Reds fans will be laughing in the long term if Van Dijk helps to deliver a maiden Premier League title.

The prospect of Champions League football will see Klopp make a strong sales pitch to Virgil Van Dijk, who will cost £50m-plus. (Paul Joyce)

— Anfield HQ (@AnfieldHQ) May 19, 2017