Steven Gerrard has urged Liverpool to do everything in their power to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton this summer.
Liverpool were interested in Van Dijk earlier this summer before they released a statement apologising to Southampton amid tapping-up allegations.
“Yes [Van Dijk is a necessity],” former Liverpool captain Gerrard, now an academy coach at Anfield, said in his role as a BT Sport pundit. “For me, if you want to compete in the league and in the Champions League [Van Dijk is needed].
“It’s been well documented that we need two or three signings in.”
Despite Southampton closing in on the signing of Lazio’s Wesley Hoedt, manager Mauricio Pellegrino recently said he wanted keep Van Dijk.
“Yes we want to keep him, because as you know right now it’s the position that we are in disadvantage.
“I think it’s an area where we can improve with another player.”
“It’s about an overall much, much, much bigger picture — a change of course for Southampton,” he said. “We want to mature, we want to be a team that can profit from synergies that create a much more attractive football and a better product for the fans, and gives us a chance to get back into Europe.
“That’s one player in this whole equation of 25 and it is the visible one, but for us it’s the principle and it’s the path and it’s the statement we need to make to get to a new space as a club.
“We are very, very adamant about carrying this through.”
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate