Virgil van Dijk considered “one-year market opportunity” by Real Madrid

Real Madrid are hoping to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold in the summer, but it turns out that he may not be the only Liverpool defender to make that move as Virgil van Dijk is also on the radar of the reigning La Liga and European champions.

Over the last 18 months, Real Madrid have struggled to retain sufficient options in the centre of defence due to regular injury problems. Eder Militao (x2) and David Alaba have both suffered ACL ruptures during this period, while Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouameni have also been affected by niggles.

Because of this, the club had considered the signing of a new centre-back to be a priority, although the emergence of Raul Asencio over the last few months has seen the need for a new signing reduce. However, it has not gone away completely, especially as Alaba and Rudiger are both coming towards the final years of their careers.

Currently, Carlo Ancelotti has Rudiger, Alaba, Asencio and Tchouameni as options in the centre of defence, with Militao not expected to be back until next season. Club officials are not convinced that this is enough, which is why a new signing could arrive in the summer – and according to Fabrizio Romano (via Diario AS), van Dijk is one of the options being considered.

The report states that Real Madrid consider van Dijk to be a “one-year market opportunity”. In recent years, they have only offered players over the age of 30 a 12-month contract, and that pattern would be followed if the Dutch superstar were to be signed.

Like Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk is out of contract at the end of the season. He was reportedly offered to Real Madrid a few weeks ago, and while it was stated at the time that the club was not considering this as an option, they appear to have changed their mind.