5 teams interested in 'next Virgil van Dijk' including Liverpool and Man Utd

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net.

And Liverpool is one of five clubs taking an interest in the next apparent big thing.

According to TeamTalk, Liverpool is "consistently circling and scouting" Aaron Bouwman.

Ajax defender Aaron Bouwman is a target for Liverpool.

The Liverpool captain himself was yet to make his senior debut at the same age, and did not make it to the Premier League until his mid-20s.

But like Van Dijk, Bouwman is an imposing physical presence at 6-foot-2

He also boasts distribution as an important part of his game — this may well be what Liverpool misses most of all when the captain finally hangs up his boots, and it will be high up the list of desirable traits in an eventual successor.

But if Liverpool has picked Bouwman for that honor, it will need to beat some intense competition

While moves elsewhere are almost inevitable eventually for the talent that comes off its production line, the club is in talks with Bouwman to extend his contract in Amsterdam.

As things stand, his deal is up in 2027

If that doesn't change soon, you can expect even more suitors to join the mix.

But even if he does sign a new contract with Ajax, you can be sure that Liverpool will keep watching his development closely