Virgil van Dijk lined up for shock transfer from Liverpool after record $80M deal

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Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk has emerged as a shock transfer target for AC Milan this summer after the Italian side's signing of Paris Saint-Germain striker Goncalo RamosVirgil Van Dijk has been linked with a move to AC Milan(Image: David Ramos/Getty Images)Virgil van Dijk is a target for AC Milan this summer.Earlier this week, the Liverpool captain suffered World Cup heartbreak after he and his teammates were dumped out of the tournament on penalties by Morocco, despite holding a 1-0 lead heading into injury time. Morocco equalized in the 91st minute through Issa Diop, with neither side able to win the game in extra time.The 35-year-old, who played every minute of the Netherlands World Cup campaign, could only watch on as his team lost on penalties, with Van Dijk not one of the five players selected to take a spot-kick.

And following the Netherlands exit, Van Dijk has been linked with a move away from Merseyside.According to reports in Italy from La Gazzetta dello Sport, AC Milan is plotting an ambitious move to try and sign the Liverpool skipper.Having appointed former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim following a disastrous end to the 2025/26 campaign, which saw AC Milan miss out on the Champions League, the Italian side has been active in the transfer market.Milan recently signed Paris Saint-Germain forward Goncalo Ramos for $80 million to spearhead a major rebuild, and it reportedly wants Van Dijk to be part of it.Ibrahima Konate left Liverpool after five years at the club(Image: (Photo by Maciej Rogowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images))According to the report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is now an adviser to AC Milan's owners, has identified Van Dijk as the perfect defender for the club to add to Amorim's squad.But Van Dijk has given no indication that he wants to leave, and there has been no suggestion Liverpool would be open to selling him either.The Reds captain has one year left on his deal on Merseyside.However, having lost Ibrahima Konate to Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer, Liverpool may be concerned about losing another defender on a free when Van Dijk's contract expires.That said, the situation between Konate and Van Dijk is different given their ages. Konate, at 27, would have landed a decent sum last summer had they sold him.While it is unclear just how much Van Dijk would cost this summer, it would almost certainly be less than what Konate would have brought in when he had one year left on his deal.Center-back is a position Liverpool could do with strengthening further this summer, having already brought in Jeremy Jacquet, who was officially unveiled by the club this week.As things stand, Andoni Iraola currently has just four senior center-backs to call on for the upcoming season in the form of Van Dijk, Jacquet, Joe Gomez, and Giovanni Leoni, the latter of whom is coming off an ACL injury sustained last year.