Chelsea have emerged as one of the early favourites to sign Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk should he depart Anfield
Chelsea have emerged as one of the frontrunners to sign Virgil van Dijk if he were to leave Liverpool alongside Jurgen Klopp – with the Reds captain in the final 18 months of his contract.
In the aftermath of the shock announcement that Klopp would be leaving the club at the end season, the Dutch defender insisted he would need further “clarification about what the club wants for the future” before deciding on his next steps at Anfield. Van Dijk – along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah – is out of contract in the summer of 2025.
As a result of such uncertainty, Chelsea have been ranked – behind Barcelona and Real Madrid – as the third favourites to lure the Liverpool captain away from Anfield – with bookmakers at Gambling.com pricing Mauricio Pochettino’s side at 5/2 to be Van Dijk’s next club, while Barcelona and Real are priced at 2/1 and 5/6 respectively.
Chelsea could be in the market for an experienced defender this summer, with 39-year-old Thiago Silva out of contract at the end of the season. Speaking to reporters last week, the Brazilian insisted he isn’t ready to retire just yet and is “super relaxed” about his contract situation in West London.
“I’m still able to maintain a good performance. My numbers are good. This gives me peace of mind to continue,” said Silva. “Now, the future belongs to God. Let’s finish well here, this and those four months and see what has to happen going forward. But I’m super relaxed about that.
