Virgil van Dijk’s former teammate urges Liverpool to sign Newcastle Defender

Virgil van Dijk’s former Southampton teammate Jose Fonte has urged Liverpool to sign a Newcastle United defender as his replacement.

Reds captain Van Dijk is about to enter the final six months of his contract at Anfield, causing uncertainty over his future with foreign teams allowed to discuss the possibility of a transfer in early January.

Reports indicate that the Dutchman would like to extend his stay on Merseyside, and a deal may not be far away, but he is yet to put pen to paper.

Although Van Dijk may still commit his future to Liverpool, the club’s hierarchy will still be looking at options to replace him in the short or long term.

Fonte, who now plays football in Portugal for Casa Pia, believes the Reds should look no further than Newcastle’s Sven Botman, with whom he played for Lille in France, to replace the talismanic Dutchman.

Fonte spoke with JeffBet (via The Mag) when he explained the qualities 24-year-old Botman would bring to Liverpool.

“I would like to see Sven Botman replace Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool and I think he is capable of doing that.

“We won the competition together in France and just like Van Dijk, he is a monster. He is tall, very good in duels, plays as a left central defender, likes to tackle, is aggressive and still young.

“I just hope he can continue his progress after his injury and stay healthy.”

Before his move to St James’ Park in 2022, Liverpool had been linked with a move for the Netherlands under-21 international, but he never pushed for the move, even though Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez were all out with long-term injuries.

Botman is currently recovering from his own anterior cruciate knee injury, and potential prospects will want to see how he returns long-term after major surgery.

The priority for chiefs at Anfield remains to extend their captain’s deal, and they will be desperate to do that now that he is playing close to his best and has been hugely influential in helping Arne Slot get off to an excellent start to make it in life as the new head of the club. Coach.