Liverpool star ‘fought until the last minute’ to join Real

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk reportedly fought tooth and nail last season to secure a move to Real Madrid. 

Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold entered the final year of their contracts in the summer of 2024, and their futures were not solved towards the end of the season. 

Alexander-Arnold decided to move to Madrid, while the other two pledged their commitment to the club and signed fresh contract extensions. 

According to a report from the Madrid-based newspaper AS, Van Dijk fought until the last minute to force a move to Madrid, despite knowing that Los Blancos had no interest in him. 

Van Dijk flirted with potential Madrid move? 

The report claims that Van Dijk’s agent contacted Spanish representatives to try and establish a direct connection with Madrid, who were not interested in signing him. 

The 34-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs of this generation, reportedly received a huge financial offer from Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, but he rejected every proposal in the hope that he could force a move to Madrid. 

Back in 2020, the Dutchman tore his cruciate ligament, and although he returned to his best form, Madrid decided to look for other options due to the injury he suffered. 

The timing of the news raises eyebrows 

The Spanish press tends to cover transfer reports in depth almost daily, as we saw in the case of Alexander-Arnold, and it comes as a huge surprise that they chose to keep such a headline-grabbing subject under the carpet for all these months! 

They chose to publish the story ahead of Liverpool’s crucial Champions League clash against Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday night, raising eyebrows about the true motive behind it. 

Throughout the 2024-25 season, not once did the Spanish or English press leak Van Dijk’s apparent interest in moving to Madrid; rather, the Dutchman remained confident that his future would be sorted out with Liverpool at some point. 

It also comes as no surprise that the report ends with a brief mention of Madrid’s interest in Ibrahima Konate, who has not yet signed a new deal at Anfield, leading many to think that it could be a strategy to shift the focus and destabilise the fanbase. 

Liverpool won the last meeting between the two sides last season, and a strong result and performance on Tuesday night will give them a massive lift after a recent slump in form. 

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