The story could have been different for Virgil van Dijk. Despite painful Champions League eliminations against Real Madrid – including two finals (2018 and 2022) and other exits in 2021 and 2023 – the Liverpool central defender once considered joining the Spanish club. According to the daily A.S.his agents even contacted Spanish representatives in the hope of establishing a direct link with the Merengues, but all proposals were rejected, notably due to his rupture of the cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2020, from which he nevertheless fully recovered. However, Van Dijk waited almost until the last minute, until April 17, to accept the contract extension proposed by the Reds, refusing other sporting or financially attractive offers, including that of the Saudi club Al-Hilal.
If Van Dijk and Real Madrid will never make a joint story, the Madrilenians continue to be interested in other Anfield players. Trent Alexander-Arnold has strengthened the Casa Blanca this summer, while the name of Ibrahima Konaté is now being mentioned with insistence as a possible recruit for the Santiago Bernabéu, while his current contract ends on June 30.
