The story could have been quite different for Virgil van Dijk. Despite painful exits from the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid — including two finals (2018 and 2022) and further losses in 2021 and 2023 — the Liverpool central defender once considered joining the Spanish club. According to the daily AS, his agents even reached out to Spanish representatives in hopes of establishing a direct link with Los Blancos, but all proposals were turned down, particularly due to his right knee’s ACL injury in 2020, from which he has since made a full recovery.
However, Van Dijk waited nearly until the last minute, until April 17, to accept the contract extension offered by the Reds, turning down other appealing offers both sportingly and financially, including one from Saudi club Al-Hilal. While the Dutch international and Real Madrid may never share a path, the Spanish side continues to show interest in other players from Anfield. Trent Alexander-Arnold joined the Casa Blanca this summer, and Ibrahima Konaté’s name is increasingly mentioned as a potential recruit for the Santiago Bernabéu, with his current contract set to expire on June 30.
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