A Liverpool defensive target has conceded that he shares similarities to his compatriot Virgil van Dijk as Jurgen Klopp continues his search for a successor to the club legend
(Image credit: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Liverpool have been revealed as a club interested in signing a defender who has opened up about how he is similar to club legend Virgil van Dijk.
The Dutchman has been one of the Reds’ biggest assets in recent years, forging his way as the cornerstone of Liverpool’s backline ever since they signed him from Southampton six years ago.
He has been named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year times and won UEFA’s Men’s Player of the Year in his inaugural season at Anfield. However, Van Dijk will be 33 years old by the time next season rolls around, while his contract is up in June 2025.
Liverpool are looking towards a long-term future without Virgil van Dijk (Image credit: Getty Images)
The Reds are on the lookout for a long-term successor to Van Dijk, while it’s very possible that Joel Matip will leave in the summer. One name attached to the club is Feyenoord defender David Hancko, whose agent recently confirmed that Liverpool are rivalling Paris Saint-Germain for the defender’s signature.
“As an agency, we are in contact not only with these two clubs (Liverpool and PSG), but also with others who are looking into David’s situation,” Branislav Jasurek of FairSports Agency said to TN.
“I estimate that, 80 to 90 per cent, David will stay in Rotterdam, because Feyenoord is fighting for the Champions League (qualification) and the people at Feyenoord know that David Hancko will be sold even in the summer and maybe better than now.
“It would have to be one of the big clubs. He will certainly not go from Feyenoord, which is going to play in the Champions League, to a club that will play in the bottom half of the Premier League.
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David Hancko of Feyenoord is on Liverpool's radar (Image credit: Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
“It is special about David that he still wants to talk with the coach. We believe that in the summer he will choose and choose the best in terms of sports, just like it was with Sparta Prague, which he preferred over other teams.
“Likewise with Feyenoord Rotterdam, which he preferred over other and more financially lucrative offers.”
Hancko is in just his second season with Feyenoord after winning the Eredivisie title in his first. The 26-year-old recently spoke to Voetbal International about his admiration for Van Dijk and how he shares similar qualities with the veteran.
“For me, before the World Cup in Qatar, he was the best defender in the world. There was no player who could go past him,” said the centre-back.
“I don’t want to compare myself with Virgil, but that invincible feeling he exudes was something I felt last season very strongly. Just like Virgil, I am not afraid of anyone. But that is different from not respecting my opponent.”
Jacque Talbot is a freelance football journalist who predominantly specialises in transfer stories and exclusives. He began his career in 2016 covering the world-renowned Sandbach United, of North West Counties fame, before earning a spot on the sports desks of national papers, where he bounced between several outlets such as Sportbible, the Express, Mirror, and Daily Star. An NCTJ graduate of the News Associates who swapped investigative journalism in the Costa del Sol for football reporting in Northern England, he first wrote for FourFourTwo in December 2023.
