Overview
- Early July reports originating with TEAMtalk said Liverpool were 'open to offers' for captain Virgil van Dijk, prompting links to AC Milan, Turkish clubs and other suitors.
- Hours later, The Athletic’s James Pearce and club‑facing journalists pushed back on those claims and said van Dijk 'is going nowhere' with Iraola counting on him for 2026/27.
- Van Dijk is 34, turns 35 this month and is under contract until summer 2027, factors that reporting cites as both reasons to consider offers and reasons to retain him.
- Selling the captain would be a major call because Liverpool have already lost Ibrahima Konaté and recently signed Jeremy Jacquet, leaving limited senior centre‑back options.
- The episode highlights how a single origin story can spread rapidly across outlets and then be disputed by better‑connected sources, leaving the player’s status unsettled in the press.