Liverpool Targets Premier League Defender Amid Virgil van Dijk Uncertainty

Liverpool is interested in signing Nottingham Forest defender Murillo, irrespective of whether Virgil van Dijk stays at the club or leaves.

The 22-year-old Brazilian has made a big impression at Forest since moving to the City Ground from Corinthians last year and has played in every minute of his team’s 11 Premier League games so far this season.

It is claimed by CaughtOffside that Liverpool admires Murillo and views him as a possible replacement for Van Dijk, although the Reds could move for Murillo even if the Dutchman extends his stay at Anfield beyond the end of the season. The same report says that Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio is also being looked at as a possible defensive addition to Arne Slot’s squad.

Regarding Van Dijk’s future, he is one of three key players who are set to become free agents at the end of the current campaign. Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all been integral to Liverpool’s most successful period in decades, but all three players are into the final eight months of their contracts.

Of the three players, Van Dijk has been the most publicly vocal about his wish to stay at Liverpool, saying in September that he wants to remain at the club until at least the 2026 World Cup.

Then, last month he provided an update on negotiations: “I can say obviously discussions are ongoing, but I don’t know, we will see what happens in the future. My full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else. What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions have been started and we will see.”

Alexander-Arnold said in September that he has no intention of letting his contract talks play out in public, while Salah, besides making a couple of statements that have been branded cryptic in some quarters, has not hinted at whether he would rather stay or leave.

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