According to reports, Liverpool are considering a move for Brighton standout Luka Vuskovic as a potential replacement for Virgil van Dijk.

Vuskovic has been one of the Premier League’s breakout stars at the start of this season.

Brighton pulled off a major coup to sign the Croatian international from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur for around £52m in this summer’s transfer window.

The 19-year-old shone on loan at Hamburg last season, and he was heavily linked with several Premier League and European clubs in the summer.

However, Tottenham sanctioned his exit after signing Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, and the Seagulls have arguably got the better of this deal.

But Brighton may not have Vuskovic for long, with Liverpool plotting a move to sign him ahead of next summer’s transfer window.

Liverpool have completed three £100m+ transfers over the past couple of years to sign Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola as part of FSG’s massive investment.

However, Liverpool are still short in several positions, and they could sign a new centre-back next year because captain Van Dijk could leave upon the expiry of his contract next summer.

Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni have proven their worth and will be big assets for Liverpool, but they will need another centre-back once Van Dijk is gone.

Now, journalist Florian Plettenberg has claimed that Vuskovic is on Liverpool’s ‘shortlist’ for next summer’s transfer window.

Luka Vuskovic’s stance on transfer revealed

However, Plettenberg has explained why Vuskovic could be a difficult target for Liverpool.

Plettenberg said on X: ‘Liverpool have Luka Vuskovic on their shortlist for next summer. The 19 y/o top defender is being monitored regularly.

‘His contract at Brighton is valid until 2031. No release clause will be available next summer. Current price valuation: around €100m (+/-).

‘Vuskovic is very happy under Fabian Hürzeler. However, his dream is to join Real Madrid one day.’

On Van Dijk, ex-Liverpool star Dejan Lovren has offered his thoughts on the captain leaving.

“It will be strange when Virgil van Dijk leaves Liverpool, but at some point it has to come to an end,” Lovren told Hajper.

“It’ll be important for him, the fans and the club that he leaves at the right time, if he stays at his level then you can see a one-year extension, but of course he’ll have to keep proving that on the pitch.

“But saying that it’s so important that he gets a good farewell, he deserves it for what he has given to the club for so long, year after year. He has been at the very top.

“He is without doubt one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players. You just need to look at the stats. Look at what he achieved and what he won, it speaks for itself.

“How many times was he up for the Ballon d’Or or in the FIFPro World 11? It’s not just Liverpool, he’s top of the tree.”