Liverpool have reportedly identified Sevilla defender Loic Bade as a potential replacement for Virgil van Dijk replacement.

Van Dijk has over six years at Anfield, but there is some uncertainty about whether he will still be at the club for the 2025-26 campaign.

The Liverpool captain has entered the final year of his contract and is yet to sign a new deal with the Merseyside club.

Van Dijk is believed to be keen to continue his Liverpool association and extend his stay beyond the end of the current season.

However, as it stands, he can leave on a free transfer next summer and can start negotiating pre-contract agreements with clubs outside England from the start of 2025.

Liverpool identify Van Dijk replacement

With Van Dijk yet to agree a new deal, Liverpool are seemingly preparing contingency plans in case he does leave at the end of the season.

According to Caught Offside, the Reds are considering Sevilla's Bade as a potential candidate to replace Van Dijk.

Liverpool's scouting teams will monitor the Frenchman's progress until the end of the current season.

The 24-year-old defender is under contract with Sevilla until the summer of 2029, but his deal does contain a £42m release clause.

However, the Reds could face competition from two European giants, with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain said to be among Bade's admirers.

Bade's career so far

After starting out at French side Le Havre, Bade went on to spend a year with Lens before joining Rennes in the summer of 2021.

The centre-back then joined Nottingham Forest on loan in September 2022, but he left the club in January 2023 without making a single appearance.

After enduring a difficult loan spell with Forest, Bade has managed to find a settled home in Andalusia, joining Sevilla on an initial loan deal before completing a permanent move last summer.

Bade has enjoyed regular game time with the Spanish side, having made 63 appearances in all competitions, chipping in with two goals and an assist.